TRANSPORT

Airport Security

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with airport authorities regarding security at British airports.

David Jamieson: My right hon. Friend meets regularly with airport management, and security issues are prominent amongst the topics discussed. There is in addition a very active dialogue at official level.

British Transport Police

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is his policy to increase the number of British Transport Police; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The number of BTP officers has increased from 2,095 in 1998 to 2,123 in 2002. It is a duty of the BTP Committee, not of the Secretary of State, to secure the maintenance of an adequate and efficient police service and determine the number of persons of each rank in the force.

A180

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Habrough to Stallingborough section of the A180 will be resurfaced with low-noise material.

David Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from T. Matthews to Shona McIsaac, dated 27 January 2003
	I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking when the Harborough to Stallingborough section of the A180 will be resurfaced with low noise material.
	As I said in my letter of 28 November 2002, it is not possible to provide a better idea of timing until the review of the maintenance programme is complete. I shall write to you as soon as the results of that review are known.
	If you require any further information, please contact Mick Spink, the Highways Agency's Area Manager for the A180. He can be contacted on 0113 283 5397 or by e-mail mick.spink@highways.gsi.gov.uk. For further information on resurfacing of concrete roads, visit our website at www.highways.gov.uk and use our search facility to find 'concrete roads'.

Airports

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his policy on the public funding of airport infrastructure development.

David Jamieson: The Government's approach to the funding of future airport development schemes is described in paragraph 15.3 of 'The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East' consultation document. This states that the Government expects the current pattern of private sector financing to continue and that it does not expect to commit public funds to future airport developments.

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants have been employed by (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year from 1994–95 to 2000–03; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Mr. Alexander, on 22 January 2003, Official Report, columns 333–34W.

Coastal Shipping Freight

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the freight carried by coastal shipping was in UK flagged ships (a) in the year to May 1992, (b) the year to May 1997 and (c) the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Statistics of freight traffic carried by coastal shipping in UK flagged ships are compiled on an annual basis only. The percentages carried in UK flagged ships for years 1991, 1996 and 2001 (the latest available year), in terms of goods lifted (tonnage) and goods moved (tonne-kilometres), were as follows:
	
		
			 Year UK flag share (percentage of goods lifted) UK flag share (percentage of goods moved) 
		
		
			 1991 36 24 
			 1996 24 16 
			 2001 13 9

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in each of the last five years, broken down by each category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

David Jamieson: Coinciding with the creation of the Department for Transport in May 2002, a new policy was introduced dealing with the use/misuse of the Department's ICT resources. This policy was brought to the attention of staff in a departmental Bulletin and is contained within the departmental Staff Handbook.
	No cases of misuse have been raised since the introduction of the new policy. Similarly, there are no identifiable cases relating to the Department for Transport in the previous four years.

Congestion Charges

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) the Metropolitan Police regarding the impact of congestion charging on traffic police; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: This is a matter between the Mayor of London, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police.

Congestion Charges

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward regulations under paragraph 11 of Schedule 23 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to extend exemptions from the Central London road user charge; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Exemptions from the central London congestion charge are primarily a matter for the Mayor. We are committed to providing a uniform minimum standard of exemptions or concessions from local road user charges in England. In considering the scope of these we will take into account experience gained in London and Durham.

External Consultants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body spent on external consultancy in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (planned); and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 January, given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow), Official Report, column 698W.

Foreign Commercial Vehicles

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 30W, on foreign commercial vehicles, what plans he has for implementing routine checks at ports of entry.

David Jamieson: Each European member state is required by law to ensure that vehicles bearing its registration are covered by motor insurance. Routine checks on foreign vehicles at ports would be illegal. Random checks involving all vehicles, foreign and domestic, are allowed and are carried out, away from the ports, by police forces and vehicle inspectors.

Health and Safety Strategy

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department and its agencies have met the commitment arising from Action Point 13 of the June 2000 strategy Statement on Revitalising Health and Safety to summarise health and safety performance and plans in Annual Reports from the year 2000–01 onwards.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Work on 20 January 2003, Official Report, columns 85–86W, in respect of Revitalising Health and Safety.
	In addition to including a section on health and safety issues in the Department's Annual Report, separate annual reports on Occupational Health and Safety have been produced for the past four years. These detail performance for the Department and each of its Agencies and identify key occupational health and safety issues for action in the following year.

Health and Safety Strategy

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what information he has collated on the application to his Department and its agencies of the checklist, circulated by letter by Sir Richard Mottram, referred to under Action Point 12 of the revitalising health and safety strategy statement; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which senior officials within his Department and its agencies take responsibility for health and safety at board or equivalent level; and where their names are publicised.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Work on 20 January 2003, Official Report, columns 85–86W.

Heritage Assets

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by his Department since May 1997; if he will list such assets; and if he will estimate the total sales proceeds.

David Jamieson: My Department came into being in May 2002. No heritage assets or antiques have been sold by my Department.

Investment Strategy

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Departmental Investment Strategy will be published.

David Jamieson: We expect to publish our Departmental Investment Strategy, incorporating the latest detailed expenditure plans for the next three years, shortly.

Late Trains

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains were late in reaching their destination within (i) Railtrack's southern zone, (ii) the south-eastern network and (iii) Kent and Sussex in each month since November 1997.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority publish performance statistics for all train operating companies every three months in "National Rail Trends" and every six months in "On Track". The figures for each operator are not broken down to route level. The most recent editions of each were published on 12 December. Copies of these publications are available in the Libraries of the House.

M6

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of vehicles that use the M6 in Staffordshire each day.

David Jamieson: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Tim Matthews to Ms Joan Walley, dated 27 January 2003
	I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent question about the number of vehicles that use the M6 in Staffordshire each day.
	The annual average daily totals of vehicles using the M6 between Junctions 12 and 16 in Staffordshire for the period September to December 2002 were as follows:
	
		Average daily totals of vehicles using M6 between junctions 12 and 16—September to December 2002
		
			 Junction Northbound Southbound 
		
		
			 12 to 13 53,367 52,657 
			 13 to 14 52,653 52,546 
			 14 to 15 49,754 49,673 
			 15 to 16 54,326 55,675 
		
	
	Note:
	These figures are averaged over a seven-day week. The equivalent figures for a five-day (Monday to Friday) period would be approximately 3,000 above those shown.
	I hope this is helpful. If you would like any further information, the Highways Agency's Route Manager for the M6, Godfrey Short, would be pleased to help. He can be contacted at our offices at Broadway, Broad Street, Birmingham B15 1BL, or by telephone on 0121 678 8135.

M6

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work to start on widening the M6 in Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: At this stage it is too early to say when work on the M6 widening scheme will start. The Secretary of State announced his response to the Midlands to North West Multi-Modal Study on 10 December 2002. At the same time he asked the Highways Agency to carry out further detailed work on the implementation and timing of the widening between junctions 11A and 19 and to bring forward a scheme for inclusion in the Agency's Targetted Programme of Improvements in the first half of 2003.

Marinair

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the costs of the Marinair scheme for a proposed new airport in the Thames Estuary.

David Jamieson: A broad estimate of the costs of the former Marinair scheme, based on historical information, was made during the 'Preliminary Site Search of Options for New Airport Capacity to serve the South East and East of England'. No cost estimate has been made relating to the proposal for a new airport on an artificial island in the Thames Estuary, submitted by the Thames Estuary Airport Company Limited (TEACO) as a written response to the airports consultation.

MIDMAN Multi-modal Study

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will respond to the MIDMAN multi-modal study; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Our response to five multi modal studies, including the West Midlands to North West (MEDMAN) study was announced on 10 December 2002 both in an Oral statement to the House of Commons and Press Notice.
	The letter which we sent to the West Midlands Regional Planning Body concerning MIDMAN was copied to all constituency MPs in the West Midlands as part of the briefing pack covering the announcement. This letter is also available on the Government Office for the West Midlands website at: http://www.go-wm.gov.uk/static/gems/news/Midman.doc

Ministerial Travel

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the total expenditure by his Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad, in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on Wednesday 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 334W.

Motor Cycling Strategy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress in drawing up a national motor cycling strategy; and when he expects it to be published.

David Jamieson: The Advisory Group on Motorcycling has established five Task Forces to consider integration and traffic management, vehicle safety and security, environmental and fiscal issues, research, and statistics.
	Good progress is being made including the publication of guidance to assist local authorities in installing secure parking for motorcycles, the start of monitored trials of motorcycles in bus lanes, congestion studies and safety research.
	Some of the key work streams including safety research, congestion research and environmental assessment, will not reach fruition until 2004. The Interim Report of the Advisory Group on Motorcycling published in April 2001 (and placed in the House Library) explained that when these results were available the Government would be able to determine its strategy for motorcycling.

Oil Spills

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further assessment he has made of the possibility of the satellite tracking of oil spills around the coastal waters of the United Kingdom; what assessment he has made of the Maritime and Coastguard pilot experiment into such tracking; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Trials and operational use of radar satellites in a number of countries, including the UK, have proved that this technology can be used to detect oil spills.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry completed several satellite trials last year. The report on the trials indicated that the integration of satellite images with routine flights of surveillance aircraft would increase visual detections of slicks and promote opportunities for evidence gathering on polluters.
	During the next financial year the MCA will be using radar satellite technology operationally. In addition the MCA is working very closely with the EC and Bonn Agreement Members with a view to establish a collaborative approach to funding of such operations.

Private Hire Vehicle Regulations

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role he had in approving the regulations under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 written by the Greater London Authority; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: None.

Private Tolls

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the consultation paper on the introduction of VAT on privately operated tolls.

David Jamieson: I have arranged for a copy of the paper titled "The introduction of VAT on privately operated tolls" that has been sent to operators of privately owned statutory tolled undertakings to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Sector Workers (Public Transport)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the proportion of public sector workers who commute to work via public transport.

David Jamieson: The Autumn 2001 Labour Force Survey showed that 13.4 per cent. of public sector workers usually travelled to work by public transport.

Rail Services (Shrewsbury)

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) punctuality, (b) reliability and (c) number of complaints for rail services running to and from Shrewsbury in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority publish performance statistics for all train operating companies in their quarterly National Rail Trends publication and their six-monthly "On Track" publication. Figures giving the number of complaints by train operating company are included in "On Track". The figures for each operator are not broken down to route level, but reflect the performance of their services in aggregate. The most recent editions were published on 12 December. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Road Safety

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority last carried out a spot check on road vehicles being unroadworthy and untaxed; what action was taken against the owners; and if he will make a statement on the co-ordination of effort between the DVLA and local enforcement authorities in tackling unroadworthy and untaxed vehicles.

David Jamieson: DVLA co-operates closely with the police and other enforcement agencies in attending joint roadside checks to target untaxed and unroadworthy vehicles.
	The Agency took part in 656 roadside checks in 2000–01, and 1,102 in 2001–02. The keepers of all unlicensed vehicles detected by these checks were pursued for using an unlicensed vehicle on the road. So far in 2002–03 the Agency has taken part in 842 checks, 79 of which were held in conjunction with vehicle excise duty campaigns involving the Agency's wheelclamping teams and the Stingray camera units. Any unlicensed vehicles detected in these checks were also clamped as well as being pursued for having no tax disc.
	The last two roadside checks on untaxed cars were undertaken on Friday 17 January at Stratford in East London and the St. Paul's area of the City of London.
	DVLA can only tackle instances of unlicensed use identified at roadside checks. The police pursue cases of unroadworthy vehicles. Other enforcement agencies involved in roadside checks include Vehicle Inspectorate, Customs and Excise, Benefits Agency and the Immigration Service.

Strategic Rail Authority

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what guidelines his Department has set for the Strategic Rail Authority on consultation with (a) hon. Members, (b) local authorities and (c) passengers' representatives in advance of proposed changes to and withdrawals of rail services;
	(2)  what consultations the Strategic Rail Authority undertook with (a) hon. Members, (b) local authorities and (c) passengers' representatives on the proposed withdrawal of Virgin train services from Blackpool North station;
	(3)  how his Department was consulted by the Strategic Rail Authority on changes to the May 2003 timetable;
	(4)  what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Strategic Rail Authority's consultation on changes to the May 2003 timetable.

David Jamieson: The Directions and Guidance to the SRA state:
	"Section 206 of the Act requires the Authority, in formulating its strategies, to consult Scottish Ministers, the National Assembly for Wales, the Rail Regulator and such other persons as it thinks fit and paragraph 7.11 of these Directions and Guidance requires it to obtain the Secretary of State's consent. Subject to these specific requirements, the Authority will need to judge with whom and how it should consult. There is no general requirement to consult in relation to the exercise of the Authority's other functions .... Even where there is no specific obligation to consult, the Secretary of State expects there to be the appropriate level of consultation with persons likely to be affected by the actions."
	The timetable changes were driven by the need to improve performance urgently in the interests of passengers. In order to secure these improvements at the earliest opportunity, by incorporating the changes in the May 2003 timetable, the Authority had limited time for consultation. The Authority consulted Department for Transport officials and Ministers about the implementation of the timetable changes announced last week, and informed other parties including the relevant Rail Passengers Committees in relation to Virgin Cross Country services.

Traffic Calming (A49)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will review the decision by the Highways Agency regarding traffic calming at the junction between the A49 and the Condover turning;
	(2)  what accidents have occurred in the last 10 years at or near the junction between the A49 and the Condover turning.

David Jamieson: I am satisfied that the Highways Agency's decision not to extend the existing 30 mph speed limit on the A49 to include the Condover turning is correct. On the basis of the criteria that we use to decide appropriate speed limits, an extension would be very difficult to justify. In addition, West Mercia Police have confirmed that they would not support an extension in this case.
	The Route Management Strategy for the A49 between Ross-on-Wye and Shrewsbury is looking at all existing speed limits along the route in the light of the criteria to ensure consistency. That work will include the Condover turning where there have been two personal injury accidents in the last 10 years. A report is due in the spring.
	The introduction of speed limits is very carefully controlled as, to impose an inappropriate limit that would not appear reasonable to most drivers in the prevailing conditions could bring the national system of speed limits into disrepute and lead to greater non compliance.

Trains

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains broke down in each of the last five years, broken down by train operating company.

David Jamieson: That information is not held centrally.

Transport Infrastructure Projects

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of the largest transport infrastructure project in the United Kingdom constructed without recourse to public sector funding since 1973.

David Jamieson: The Department for Transport does not hold information on the cost of private investments over this time period.

Transport Safety Statistics

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of a life figure used is in cost benefit calculations relating to safety improvements in (a) rail, (b) road, (c) air, (d) pedestrian (e) cycling and (f) other modes of transport.

David Jamieson: The value used for the prevention of a fatality in cost benefit analyses of all surface transport policies and schemes was published in DFT's "Highways Economics Note No. 1: 2001" which is in the Libraries of the House. There is no formal value set for measures affecting our passengers.

Transport Targets

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets the Government have for increasing (a) rail freight and (b) rail passenger use; and when he expects the targets to be met.

David Jamieson: The Government published a report on its targets and progress in meeting them in relation to the 10 Year Plan on 17 December 2002. Copies are available in theLibraries of the House.

Transport Targets

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets the Government have for reducing traffic (a) pollution and (b) congestion; and when he expects the targets to be met.

David Jamieson: The Department's PS A targets and progress against the objectives in the 10 Year Plan are set out in 'Delivering Better Transport: Progress Report' which was published 17 December 2002, a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Virgin Train Services (Blackpool)

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the (a) economic and (b) other effects of withdrawing Virgin train services to and from Blackpool North station.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority made the changes to improve performance which had deteriorated with the introduction of Virgin's winter 2002–03 timetable. Frequent services will continue to be provided from Blackpool North to Preston from where passengers will be able to join Crosscountry and other main line services. This, by and large, was the position up to the end of the Summer 2002 timetable.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her policy on the status of the BBC as a public sector, public service broadcaster in relation to the round of GATS negotiations.

Kim Howells: Services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority are excluded from the scope of the GATS, provided they are supplied neither on a commercial basis nor in competition. The Government will not make commitments that could call into question the role of the BBC as a public service broadcaster.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cases of computer misuse there were in her Department in each of the last five years, broken down by each category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Kim Howells: DCMS has had 11 cases of computer misuse in the last five years, all occurring in one year, 1999.
	Category: Accessing inappropriate material on the Internet:
	2 cases one final formal written warning issued
	one resignation
	Category: Inappropriate use of e-mail:
	9 cases
	1 instant dismissal
	5 oral warnings issued
	3 final formal written warnings issued

English Tourism

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who was on the short list for the appointment of the Head of English Tourism.

Kim Howells: In the interests of confidentiality, we do not release the names of those who apply for DCMS public appointments, including those who are shortlisted. Shortlisting is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

English Tourism

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who made up the board that has the responsibility to appoint the Head of English Tourism.

Kim Howells: The appointment of the Chair of the relaunched tourism body is the responsibility of the Secretary of State, taking into account the advice of an interview panel. It is not our policy to publish the names of interview panel members, in order to avoid the risk of their being subjected to unwarranted pressure.
	I can confirm that, in line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice, the interview panel included a senior official from DCMS and at least one independent assessor who is not connected with any of the Department's public bodies.

English Tourism

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what qualifications the new Head of English Tourism has.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 10 January 2003 that Sir Michael Lickiss will be the new chairman of the relaunched tourism body from 1April 2003, this is a British Body. Sir Michael recently retired after four years as the first chairman of the South West England Regional Development Agency. From 2001 he was the lead spokesman for tourism on behalf of all RDA's. Before taking his last appointment in the south west, he was founder President of the Association of Accounting Technicians (1980–82), President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (1990–91), Senior Partner of Grant Thornton (1991–94) and Chairman of the Business Technology and Education Council (BTEC; 1994–2000). He has worked in several countries around the world. He is a Governor of the London School of Economics and he was knighted for his services to his profession in 1993.

Free Television Licences

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners have claimed free television licences in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: Free television licences for the over-75s were introduced in November 2000, but no free licences were available prior to that date. TV Licensing, who administer the free licence scheme as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 6,500 people aged 75 or over living in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency, and 23,800 in Shropshire.

Licensing Reform

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with church groups and religious leaders on the impact of the proposed licensing Bill on places of public religious worship; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The White Paper "Time for Reform", published in April 2000 was the subject of a full public consultation. It was sent directly to 231 organisations and over 650 organisations produced responses. We received eight responses from religious organisations, including one from the Churches Main Committee. None of these were concerned with the proposal to licence public entertainment in churches and other places of religious worship. Since then, officials of my Department have had discussions with officials of the General Synod of the Church of England about a possible mechanism to exempt churches from licensing controls.
	As I stated in the House of Commons on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 517, the Government have made a commitment to reconsider their position on the licensing of churches and will announce their conclusions as soon as possible.

Lottery Awards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery money Haltemprice and Howden received in 2002; and what the average amount of Lottery money awarded to constituencies was in 2002.

Richard Caborn: According to the information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the National Lottery awards database, £387,414 of Lottery funding has been awarded to Haltemprice and Howden during 2002. The average amount awarded to constituencies during 2002 was £1,644,892.

Production Quotas

Frank Doran: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she plans to reform the independent production quota to make it a floor by ensuring that (a) the quota is calculated per channel, both by qualifying hours and spend and (b) exclusions to qualifying hours are minimised.

Kim Howells: holding answer 23 January 2003
	The Government responded to the ITC's UK Programme Supply Review on 15 January. In this response we indicated that we accepted all of the ITC recommendations in the area of support for independent production in the UK, and will be introducing the necessary amendments to the Communications Bill and BBC Agreement. These amendments will introduce binding codes of practice governing broadcasters dealings with independent production companies, give OFCOM the power to measure the independent productions quota by value as well as volume if necessary, apply the quota separately to BBC1 and BBC2 and strengthen OFCOM's powers to enforce and monitor the independent production requirements.

Sports Clubs

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportions of the members of the governing bodies of sports clubs that receive funding from her Department are (a) male and (b) female.

Richard Caborn: This information is not collected.

Sports Clubs

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department collates relating to the composition of (a) sports clubs and (b) governing bodies of sports clubs in respect of (i) gender, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) socio-economic groups.

Richard Caborn: Sport England collects information in respect of the affiliated members of governing bodies of sport in respect of gender, ethnicity, age and disability. Sport England, through its grants management system, also collects this information in respect of sports clubs membership. Applicants for awards from the Lottery Sports Fund in respect of community sports facilities and provision are asked to provide information on types of user by gender, ethnicity, age and socio-economic group against which applications are assessed.

Statutory Instruments

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State or Culture, Media and Sport how many Statutory Instruments subject to negative procedure made by her Department (a) came into force and (b) were considered by a delegated legislation committee in each of the last three sessions.

Kim Howells: The number of Statutory Instruments (including Orders in Council) subject to negative procedures made by the Department which came into force in each of the last three sessions are as follows:
	
		
			 Session Number 
		
		
			 2001–02 32 
			 2000–01 4 
			 1999–2000 15 
		
	
	All of the above Orders were copied to the delegated legislation committee for consideration.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Children's Commissioner

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to create a children's commissioner for England.

John Denham: The pros and cons of establishing a children's commissioner are under consideration.

Apprenticeships

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people enrolled to begin advanced modern apprenticeship courses in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Ivan Lewis: The numbers of starts on Advanced Modern Apprenticeships, in the last three years for which data are available, are as follows:
	
		
			 Date Starts on advanced modern apprenticeships 
		
		
			 29 October 2001 to 27 October 2002 (1)50,300 
			 30 October 2000 to 28 October 2001 67,700 
			 1 November 1999 to 29 October 2000 76,900 
		
	
	(1) Subject to revision. Data for this period is incomplete because not all the information has reached the database.

Asylum Seekers

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many asylum seekers sought education in Bedfordshire in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: It is not possible to provide figures for each of the last five years because there is no requirement on local education authorities or the Learning and Skills Council to provide information on the number of asylum seekers in education.
	Information from the local Learning and Skills Council suggests that, at the end of July 2000, 60 asylum seekers were known to have sought education within Bedfordshire. These figures include both children of compulsory school age and young people and adults aged over 16. In Luton over the past two years (2000–01 and 2001–02), an average of 130 pupils under 16 from both asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds were in education. The number of asylum seekers participating in further education institutions within Bedfordshire and Luton was 318 during 1999–2000 and 315 during 2000–01.
	However, the high mobility of some asylum seekers and refugees makes any data collected unreliable.

Child Nutrition

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the contribution breakfast clubs and the school joint scheme can make to reducing childhood obesity and poor nutrition; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	Initial evaluation of breakfast clubs and the national school fruit scheme indicates that they have the potential to make an important contribution to improving children's diet, as do the compulsory nutritional standards for school meals. Measures to increase physical activity can also make a contribution to reducing childhood obesity. Further evaluation of breakfast clubs will be carried out under the food in schools programme. An assessment of the impact of the national school fruit scheme upon children's diets will be undertaken over the next two years.

Children's Fund

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been received by Sefton Council from the Children's Fund since its inception; how the funds were allocated, broken down by project; what posts have been funded and by how much; and in which organisations these posts arise.

John Denham: holding answer 15 January 2003
	Under SR2000 Sefton's Children's Fund partnership received a total allocation of £2 million up to March 2004 for its Children's Fund programme. The partnership has been paid £89,471.75 to date. A total of £66,107 was allocated in FY 2002–03 to personnel costs, of which £36,508 has been paid to date. Sefton experienced a shortfall in expenditure against profile in its first year of operation because of early recruitment difficulties and the impact this has had on service delivery. The partnership also received an allocation of £200,000 for activities undertaken as part of the Street Crime initiative from July 2002 to September 2004, and to date have been paid £25,000. The partnership has profiled to spend its full SR2000 allocation by March 2004.
	The following table provides a full funding profile for Sefton Children's Fund partnership and a breakdown of its allocation by project.
	
		Services and projects commissioned by Sefton Children's Fund partnership
		
			 Project name Lead agency Funding committed 2002–04 (£) Status 
		
		
			 A.B.S (Anti-Bullying in Sefton) Behaviour Support and Reintegration Team (Sefton LEA) and Child and Family services) 243,500 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Children's Choices Queens Road Neighbourhood Centre 67,812 Project commenced November 2002 
			 Everyone Can Play Fun 4 Kidz 45,902 Project commenced summer 2002 
			 Young Carers Project PSS Sefton Young Carers 48,340 Project commenced summer 2002 
			 Inclusive Play Training Project Sefton EYDCP 19,277 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Kindred Spirits II Children With Disabilities Sub-group (Sefton Teaching & Educational Psychology) 13,200 Project due to commence March 2003 
			 Empowering Parents in the Community (EPIC) Merseyside Partners in Policy Making 40,900 Project commenced November 2002 
			 Special Needs Toy Library Sefton Social Services 37,817 Project commenced November 2002 
			 Link Nurse Team for Children with ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Disorders South Sefton PCT 94,950 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Support for children affected by domestic violence SWACA 68,100 Project commenced summer 2002 
			 Link Worker for children affected by parental substance misuse Sefton Social Services 60,000 Project due to commence February 2003 
			 Development of integrated service information systems 3TC 20,000 Project due to commence February 2003 
			 Environmental Transformation post Sefton CVS 18,120 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Going for Gold Plus Sefton Education Business Partnership 17,613 Project commenced September 2002 
			 Parent Support Project Parenting 2000 38,500 Project due to commence February 2003 
			 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Co-ordinator South Sefton PCT 23,000 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Multi-disciplinary Teams in Schools Various agencies 165,000 Workshop/ conference planned for January to develop project in conjunction with local PCTs, schools, Sefton YOT 
			 Approaches to supporting children and families from minority ethnic backgrounds NW Ethnicities Project 21,000 Conference planned for March 2003. Programme Manager involved in planning meetings 
			 Research into the needs of children from asylum seeking families Sefton Social Inclusion Unit 4,000 Research to begin March 2003 
			 Arts Inclusion Worker Sefton Leisure Services 40,000 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 JETSET 2003 Greater Merseyside SETPOINT 6,400 Project due to commence February 2003 
			 Enhancing partnership working between Social Services and Sefton Children's Fund Social Services 10,000 Research brief agreed and circulated to potential consultants 
			 Centre of Excellence for Children and Families Parenting 2000 28,000 Centre expected to open March 2003 
			 Peel Road Youth Encouragement Programme Peel Road Residents Association 22,500 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Services for Deaf Children and their Families Merseyside Society for Deaf People 41,634 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Police and Youth Encouragement Scheme Police and Youth Encouragement Scheme (PAYES) 15,000 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Healthy Schools Initiative Sefton LEA 6,000 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Education Action Zone Manor Projects EAZ Manor Partnership 6,810 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Thornton Summer Activities Programme Edge Lane Community Association 937 Activities took place during summer 2002 
			 PHAB Families Summer Activities PHAB Families 340 Activities took place during summer 2002 
			 Flexible Short Breaks Project Sefton Carers Centre 61,000 Project due to commence February 2003 
			 Out-of-Schools Project TBC 40,000 Project proposals still under development 
			 Adventures for All Sefton Social Services 5,000 Project to take place during March 2003 
			 Play Inclusion Worker Sefton Leisure Services 15,000 Project due to commence February 2003 
			 Healthy Lifestyles Projects South Sefton PCT 7,000 Projects due to commence January 2003 
			 Learning Their Language Sefton Social Services 2,733  
			 CF Street Crime Initiative Projects Sefton LEA and Parenting 2000 200,000 Project due to commence January 2003 
			 Voluntary and Community Sector Support Worker Sefton CVS 34,826 Project commenced January 2003 
			 Children's Voices Project Sefton CVS in conjunction with Social Services 54,000 Project commenced October 2002 
			 Parent Participation Officer Sefton CVS 37,000 Post to be re-advertised January 2003

Consultancy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body spent on external consultancy in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (planned); and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: The following table shows expenditure on administrative external consultancy by my Department.
	
		£ million 
		
			  Actual expenditure Estimated outturn 
		
		
			 1996–97 9.14  
			 1997–98 4.54  
			 1998–99 5.21  
			 1999–2000 4.45  
			 2000–01 4.74  
			 2001–02 5.66  
			 2002–03  2.77 
		
	
	These figures exclude programme consultancy costs spent directly by the Department and its agencies, which are currently not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. From April 2003 arrangements will be made to collect centrally expenditure information for programme consultancy costs spent directly by the Department. The table also excludes all consultancy spend for non-departmental public bodies, as they are not required to provide the Department with detailed information on consultancy expenditure.
	Expenditure information for 1995–96 could not be readily obtained as information is not held electronically for that year.
	Figures for 1996–97 to 2001–02 include consultancy spend incurred by central functions that subsequently transferred to Other Government Departments under Machinery of Government changes.

Dyslexia

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people serving sentences in (a) prisons and (b) young offender institutes in England and Wales have been diagnosed as suffering from dyslexia, in each year since 1992; and what estimate he has made of the numbers serving sentences and suffering from dyslexia, in each year since 1992.

Ivan Lewis: We do not have robust data for the numbers of prisoners and young offenders diagnosed as suffering from dyslexia.
	Many of the experts in this field hold differing views on whether or not the percentage of the prison population suffering from dyslexia is higher than that of the wider community. Some feel that what may appear to be indicators of dyslexia are in fact the result of a whole range of social factors that could include the effects of drug and alcohol abuse, physical injuries, interrupted schooling and lack of parental support. Conversely, others suspect that there is a high incidence of dyslexia among this specific group and that the frustrations arising from this learning difficulty have contributed to their offending behaviour.
	Research has also provided conflicting results. In 1998 research from Cambridge University's Institute of Criminology, based on a survey of 323 prisoners at nine establishments, found that only around 4 to 6 per cent. of prisoners were dyslexic.
	The most recent research (1999), from the Dyslexia Institute, is based on a survey of nearly 100 young offenders at HMYOI Feltham. This study, which measured cognitive ability as well as dyslexia, found that 17.5 per cent. screened positive against indicators for dyslexia.

Dyslexia

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which (a) prisons and (b) young offender institutes in England and Wales have facilities for (i) diagnosing dyslexia and (ii) providing education for inmates suffering from dyslexia.

Ivan Lewis: A survey carried out in 2001 indicated that around a quarter of establishments had staff trained to support learners with dyslexia. Under the Government's Skills for Life strategy, staff in all prisons and young offender institutions will have access to training so that they can identify indicators of dyslexia, know when to refer learners for specialist assessment, and provide appropriate educational programmes for them. This will be further enhanced in those young offender institutions caring for 15 to 17-year-olds by the appointment of special educational needs co-ordinators, and of learning support assistants on a ratio of one to every 10 learners.
	New diagnostic assessments for prisoners, to be administered after initial assessment by a specialist teacher, will offer guidance on when to refer learners for a full dyslexia assessment with an educational psychologist or other appropriately trained person.
	The majority of people with dyslexia do not require specialist teaching. They need high quality basic skills teaching which adopts a variety of inclusive strategies to support the needs of all learners. An inclusive learning handbook for all staff in prisons and YOls to be published this spring will increase the understanding of the needs of those with dyslexia.

Empty Homes

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many empty homes his Department (a) had five years ago and (b) has now, by region; if he will establish an empty homes strategy within his Department; and if he will set a target for reduction in empty homes.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has not had any homes, empty or otherwise, in the last five years nor does it intend to do so.

Entertainment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting. The following table sets out spending in £000s for DfES and its predecessors in the relevant years.
	
		
			 Year Department of Employment (including Employment Service) Department for Education Department for Education and Employment DfES 
		
		
			 1994–95 32 86   
			 1995–96 28 77   
			 1996–97   24  
			 1997–98   21  
			 1998–99   31  
			 1999–2000   21  
			 2000–01   20  
			 2001–0211 
			 2002–03(2)13 
		
	
	(2) Estimated outturn

Free School Meals

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has released free school meals figures for individual secondary schools to organisations for research purposes within the last 12 months.

Stephen Twigg: The Department has released free school meals figures for individual secondary schools to a number of organisations for research purposes within the last 12 months. Before doing so, the organisations signed confidentiality declarations which committed them to maintaining the confidentiality of the data and limited their use of this information to the stated research purpose.

Heritage Assets

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by his Department since May 1997; if he will list such assets; and if he will estimate the total sales proceeds.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills have not held any heritage or antique assets during the period and therefore no sales have been made.

Higher Education (Armed Forces)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people who recently left the armed forces took up higher education courses last year;
	(2)  when he will reply to the question from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham, Ref 84763.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not held centrally.

Ministerial Travel

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the total expenditure by his Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad, in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 334W.

Public Service Agreements

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the public service agreements targets it was set in the 1998 comprehensive spending review.

Stephen Twigg: There is ongoing assessment of progress against PSA targets, including those agreed as part of the 1998 CSR. We recently reviewed our targets in the context of the 2002 Spending Review. The Department publishes progress against all its PSA targets in its spring departmental report and also its autumn performance report, together with commentary where appropriate . The first autumn report was published in November 2002 and a copy is available from the House of Commons Library.

Publicity and Advertising

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if he will make a statement;

Stephen Twigg: Expenditure from the Department's central advertising and publicity budget is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			  
			 1995–96 (3)n/a 
			 1996–97 (3)n/a 
			 1997–98 10,879 
			 1998–99 13,426 
			 1999–2000 9,902 
			 2000–01 14,595 
			 2001–02 11,688 
			 2002–03(4) 14,172 
		
	
	(3) Not available
	(4) Estimated
	In addition to expenditure from this central budget, expenditure from budgets allocated to individual programmes will also include spend on publicity related activity. It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to separately identify all such publicity related expenditure. It is possible to identify separately expenditure on advertising, and this is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			  
			 1995–96(5) 8,296 
			 1996–97 7,538 
			 1997–98 9,992 
			 1998–99 15,673 
			 1999–2000 11,900 
			 2000–01 29,066 
			 2001–02 20,489 
			 2002–03(6) 12,215 
		
	
	(5) Employment Department and Department for Education
	(6) Estimated
	Information on expenditure by agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

Pupil Ethnicity

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what percentage of pupils their ethnicity has been (a) declared by parents or pupils and (b) determined by the pupil's school.

Stephen Twigg: The figures requested are not yet available.
	New guidance was issued last year regarding the procedures schools should follow for the collection and recording of pupils' ethnic group. Schools should in the first instance seek information via parents, and any response (including a refusal to provide information) must be respected. However if there is no response at all to the school's inquiries it has the option of ascribing an ethnic group to the pupil based on its own best judgment. In this event various steps have to be taken in order to comply with data protection rules, and the fact that ascription has taken place must be shown alongside the ethnic group itself—both in the school's own records, and in any information passed on to the LEA or to the Department in the Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC). This year's PLASC returns from schools will reflect the ethnic group information which they have collected under the new guidance, including details of whether that was provided by parents or pupils or ascribed by the school. However these returns will not be received and processed until about April.

Research Projects

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the research projects (with duration and name of contractor) commissioned by his Department in each of the last five years; if he will indicate (a) the duration of each project and (b) the name of the organisation contracted to undertake the research; and what the aggregate cost was of research projects in each year.

David Miliband: Details of the Department's research programme contracts and their value since the financial year commencing April 1998 are published in the Department's annual reports on research and research conference reports, copies of which may be found in the House of Commons Libraries.

Sector Skills Councils

Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will define the term employer-led when applied to sector skills councils;
	(2)  what plans he has to make sector skills councils financially independent;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the terms of ownership of the sector skills councils; and what the terms of ownership are of the retail skills council, Skill Smart.

Ivan Lewis: To meet the standard to become a Sector Skills Council, an organisation should be employer-led. This means it should be launched and led by employers but should also involve other important organisations in the sector, such as trade unions. We recognise that a component of many SSCs will be support from their trade association but the SSC, as an organisation licensed by Government and in receipt of public funds, must be wholly independent of it or any holding company. In the case of Skillsmart, we have made it clear that to become a fully licensed SSC it will need to be independent of the British Retail Consortium.
	On the question of funding, my Department will meet part of the costs of an SSC (up to £1 million core contribution) to give capacity to allow SSCs to take a more strategic approach underpinned by proper research and avoid being compromised by commercial interests. But we have always expected our £1 million would lever significant additional private investment into skills and productivity development in the sector.

Sector Skills Councils

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will give an update of progress on the foundation of Sector Skills Councils.

Ivan Lewis: Five trailblazer Sector Skills Councils were announced in December 2001 covering audio visual industries: land based industries; apparel, footwear and textiles; oil and gas extraction, chemicals manufacturing and petroleum industries and the retail sector. There are nine further sectors in the final phase of developing Sector Skills Council proposals for consideration by the Sector Skills Development Agency. The trailblazer SSCs together with those in development cover over 50 per cent. of the workforce. We expect the first SSCs to be licensed early in 2003.

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many days were lost due to sickness absence in the Department in 2002.

Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 160W.

Special Needs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what alternative provision he will put in place to meet the needs of people with special needs who are excluded from attending their clubs on attaining the age of 25;
	(2)  for what reason it was decided to set 25 as the age at which to exclude people with special needs from the clubs they had been attending; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether it is his policy, with reference to the document "Resourcing Excellence in Youth Services", launched in December, that people with special needs should be excluded from youth services when they reach the age of 25;
	(4)  what provision he will make for people with serious learning difficulties to continue to be able to attend their clubs after reaching the age of 25;
	(5)  what his policy is on the exclusion of people with serious learning difficulties from youth and other clubs at the age of 25; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: Local education authorities (the statutory sector) and a range of voluntary organisations provide the Youth Service. The priority age group for the service is 13 to 19-year-olds but the target age group may extend to 11 to 25-year-olds in some cases.
	Provision is usually in the form of youth clubs and centres, or through "detached" or outreach work aimed at young people at risk from alcohol or drug misuse, or of drifting into crime. There is an increasing emphasis on youth workers working with disadvantaged, disaffected, and socially excluded young people.
	In December 2002 the Government launched the document "Transforming Youth Work Resourcing Excellent Youth Services" which provides a cross Government view of the key elements of a high quality, well managed and properly resourced Youth Service. The document underpins the Transforming Youth Work programme and the Government's commitment to work with local authorities to ensure the delivery of a high quality Youth Service for young people which is at the heart of the Connexions Service. The document emphasises that local authorities should ensure the delivery of a service which targets the 13–19 age range but may also be working at the margins with 11–13 and 19 to 25-year-olds. The document confirms this existing age range criteria for the Youth Service.
	Under the Learning and Skills Act, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has a specific responsibility to help both young people and adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. The broad remit of the council enables it to fund a wide range of learning provision when considering their particular needs. This includes activities offering opportunities for non-formal types of learning, and learning which does not lead to a qualification. For adults, particularly those with special needs, this provision will be more suitable than a youth work curriculum provided by the Youth Service.
	I do not intend making a statement at this time.

Sure Start

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the role of Early Years Partnerships will be in the new Sure Start programme;
	(2)  if the Sure Start advisors in the regions will be responsible for all Early Years initiatives within their region.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 18 December 2002
	To make life better for children, parents and communities, on 11 December we launched the new Sure Start Unit. This brings together at a national level responsibility for early education, child care and health and family support in one, cross-departmental unit. Drawing on best practice in early education, child care and Sure Start local programmes, the guiding principles of the new unit are:
	Working with parents and children;
	Services for everyone (responding to varying needs);
	Flexible at the point of delivery;
	Starting very early;
	Respectful and transparent;
	Community driven and professionally coordinated;
	Outcome driven (core purpose—better outcomes for children);
	These national changes will be reflected in some reorganisation of the local support the unit provides to ensure that mainstream services for children and parents are delivered in accordance with the unit's guiding principles. We are currently considering how best to achieve this.
	This national change does not, however, alter the existing roles and responsibilities of Local Authorities and Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCPs). Local authorities will retain their significant responsibilities under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 for early years and child care. This includes setting up and maintaining EYDCPs to assist in preparing early years strategic plans and developing the local provision of child care.
	At a national level, responsibility for Sure Start, early years and child care have been brought together in one cross-departmental unit (the Sure Start Unit). This unit led by Baroness Ashton who is a joint DfES/DWP Minister will continue to provide support to the local delivery of services through a network of regionally-based teams and advisors, ensuring that people with the most appropriate skills and experience are available to assist delivery of this important area of the Government's agenda.

Truancy

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he is taking to reduce the number of children failing to attend school; and what discussions he has had with officials and Ministers in the Home Office regarding truancy from schools.

Ivan Lewis: On 12 December 2002, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, set out his strategy to improve behaviour and attendance in all schools. In doing so, he underlined our commitment to the Public Service Agreement: by 2004, to reduce truancies by 10 per cent. compared to 2002, to sustain the new lower level, and improve overall attendance levels thereafter. To achieve this objective, we have introduced a range of initiatives, such as the co-ordination of national truancy sweeps, funding for electronic registration systems, the development of guidance for more effective prosecutions and a sustained publicity campaign aimed at parents and pupils. In addition, we are proposing a new package of support and sanctions, such as behaviour and attendance training and audits available to all secondary schools from September, fixed penalty notices for parents of persistent truants and the introduction of parenting contracts.
	Ministers and officials in this Department and the Home Office are in regular contact on truancy issues, for example through the Government's Street Crime Initiative and in developing measures for the proposed Anti-Social Behaviour Bill.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Flooding Insurance

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the competition implications of discrimination against applicants for household insurance on the basis of postcodes as a proxy for flood risk.

Elliot Morley: Postcode rating is, I understand, the method used by insurers for all household insurance policies and not just for flood risk. Whether this method has a detrimental effect on competition is a matter for the Director General for Fair Trading, who can then consider any appropriate action.

Flooding Insurance

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Association of British Insurers about problems experienced by householders in the KT postcode areas in obtaining flood insurance since 3 January.

Elliot Morley: There has been no discussion since 3 January specifically about insurance in KT postcode areas. The Association of British Insurers and the Environment Agency are in regular discussion over provision of better flood risk information for England, taking into account flood defences, to enable insurers to understand the risk for particular areas. A meeting took place this week to consider the initial data provided in December 2002 and how best this can meet insurers' requirements in order that they can continue provision of insurance in line with their Statement of Principles.

Aircraft Fuel

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies she has evaluated on the effect of the dumping of aircraft fuel into airspace on (a) the ozone layer, (b) human and plant health and (c) water quality; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: None. There is no evidence that this is a significant problem. Aviation fuel can only be legally jettisoned in an emergency, when Air Traffic Control would advise the pilot to do so, if at all possible, either over the sea or over 10,000 feet above ground level so that the fuel would vaporise. Emergencies are by definition rare occurrences. There is no incentive for jettisoning fuel illegally—it is an expensive commodity. If aviation fuel were to be jettisoned it would biodegrade readily and therefore would not be expected to have a long-term impact. As aviation fuel contains no more than the smallest traces of chlorine or bromine, it will make no contribution to ozone layer depletion.

Alternative Fuels

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the British Cement Association on the use of alternative fuels.

Michael Meacher: Officials of the Department have occasional contact with the British Cement Association on a range of environmental issues. A meeting on 18 December 2002 included discussion in general terms of the potential for the cement industry to burn alternative fuels.

Animal Welfare

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live sheep were exported from Dover to continental Europe on (a) 17 December 2002, (b) 20 December 2002 and (c) 8 January; when and where health certification was carried out in respect of the sheep, how many of the sheep were rejected as unfit for the intended journey (i) during inspection for health certification purposes and (ii) at Dover docks, and to where those sheep were taken; and what was the address of the final destination given on the route plan for each of the consignments.

Elliot Morley: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Sailing date Total animals certified Where consignments were certified Animals rejected at certification Animals rejected at Dover docks Destination 
		
		
			 17 December 2,278 England and Wales 57 0 France 
			 20 December 2,616 England, Wales and Scotland 74 0 France 
			 8 January 2003 3,066 England and Wales 132 0 France 
			 8 January 2003 479 England 0 0 Belgium 
		
	
	The sheep for the consignments listed above were certified within 48 hours prior to export. These consignments were fattening animals transported to holdings. The animals which were rejected at certification remained in Great Britain.

Commercial Whaling

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government intend to take to discourage the resumption of commercial whaling by Iceland; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: We have written to the US Government, in its capacity as depositary for the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), to object formally to Iceland rejoining the International Whaling Commission with a reservation to the moratorium on commercial whaling. A copy of this letter has also been sent to all IWC members.
	The Government of Iceland have undertaken, while submitting its Instrument of Adherence to the ICRW, not to resume commercial whaling before 2006 at the earliest.

Commercial Whaling

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she intends to take to persuade Norway to desist from catching whales; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The UK Government takes every opportunity, both within the International Whaling Commission and in other relevant fora, to express its opposition to Norwegian whaling and to persuade Norway to cease its whaling activities.

Company Environmental Performance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place an updated list of FTSE 350 companies that report on their environmental performance in the Library.

Michael Meacher: The Department conducted a survey last year of the progress made by companies in the FTSE 350 in voluntary reporting of their environmental performance. An account of the results of this survey was placed in the Library of the House in July 2002. The exercise has not been repeated since then, so the information from last July is the most up-to-date available.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of computer misuse there were in her Department in each of the last five years, broken down by each category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Alun Michael: The Department seeks to ensure that all users of computer systems are fully aware of their responsibilities and legal obligations. This is done by a variety of methods such as through system training programmes, published user guides and usage policies together with general security policy guidance and advice. This material is subject to regular review and is easily accessible through the Departmental Intranet. Regular Office Notices also provide reminders of key points.
	The Department does not maintain a central list of all cases of computer misuse because in the vast majority of instances these are correctly handled through the line management chain or local Personnel Units.
	Since 9 June 2001 the IT Directorate have assisted with providing information in a number of cases of suspected computer misuse. This has led to formal disciplinary action in five cases. The Department was formed on 9 June 2001 so figures are not available prior to that date.

Dolphins/Porpoises

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government will take to discourage the killing of dolphins and porpoises by Japan this year; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: At this year's annual International Whaling Commission meeting, which takes place in Berlin from 16 to 19 June 2003, we intend to raise our concerns over the lack of regulation and the methods used in the hunts for small cetaceans that take place in Japanese waters and elsewhere.

Empty Homes

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many empty homes her Department (a) had five years ago and (b) has now, by region; if she will establish an empty homes strategy within her Department; and if she will set a target for reduction in empty homes.

Alun Michael: On 1 April 1998, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food had vacant dwellings at the following locations:
	Three in Littlehampton, West Sussex.
	One in Liscombe, Devon.
	One near Lymington, Hants.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs currently has vacant dwellings at the following locations:
	Two at Cawood, near Selby, north Yorks.
	Two at Martyr Worthy, Winchester, Hants.
	The Department already has a strategy for empty dwellings. If they are not any integral part of a bigger property such as a farm, they will be sold as soon as possible. If they cannot be sold, they will be offered for letting subject to any security considerations.
	Arrangements are already in hand for the disposal of the dwellings which are currently empty. The sale of the Cawood properties should be completed by the end of March 2003 and the sale of the Martyr Worthy properties should be completed by or around the end of June 2003.

Energy Efficiency

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of buildings built as part of the Government's estate in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002 made use of the Government's design advice scheme on energy efficiency.

Michael Meacher: The Carbon Trust runs the Action Energy programme (formerly Government's non-domestic Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme), which includes the design advice scheme on energy efficiency.
	Only two Departments, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development, made use of the design advice scheme between 2001–02. However, the scheme is provided as a service package to Departments, and information is not collected on a building-by-building, or annual basis. Data are not maintained centrally on new builds on the Government estate.

Energy Efficiency

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measures she has taken to encourage energy efficiency.

Elliot Morley: Since the publication of the UK's Climate Change Programme in November 2000, the following main actions have been taken to promote energy efficiency in the domestic, business and public sectors:
	The Climate Change Levy, a levy on the business use of fuel, was introduced in April 2001. Receipts, forecast at £1 billion a year, are recycled back to business—including £50 million for business energy efficiency.
	Climate Change Agreements have been reached with 44 sectors of energy intensive industry. Participants in these agreements pay a reduced rate of Climate Change Levy (20 per cent. of the full levy) in return for meeting challenging energy efficiency targets over a 10-year period.
	The Carbon Trust was launched in April 2001, and receives two-thirds of its annual budget from recycled receipts from the Climate Change Levy, it encourages and promotes the development of low carbon technologies to support the transition to a low carbon economy. It offers an interest free loan scheme for small and medium-sized businesses and provides funding for the development of low carbon technologies through the Low Carbon Innovation Programme.
	The Enhanced Capital Allowances Scheme enables businesses to claim 100 per cent. first year capital allowances on investments in a range of approved energy saving technologies.
	The UK Emissions Trading Scheme was launched in April 2002. Companies in Climate Change Agreements can trade within the scheme to help meet their targets. Participants entering directly into the scheme can trade to meet emission reduction targets delivering 1.1 MtC by 2006. Energy efficiency measures help participants to meet their targets.
	New requirements have been introduced for local authorities. Authorities have to know their buildings' energy consumption and carbon emissions. From 2002–03 they are required to benchmark their energy use in operational property and street lighting, and will set local improvement targets from 2003–04.
	The Energy Efficiency Commitment for 2002–05 (EEC) places a challenging but realistic obligation on electricity and gas suppliers to promote improvements in domestic energy efficiency. Suppliers will achieve individual EEC targets by encouraging and assisting consumers to take up energy efficiency measures. It is expected to save 0.4 million tonnes of carbon a year by 2005. It will also help those on lower incomes—who spend a larger proportion of their incomes on energy—by focussing at least 50 per cent. of energy savings on consumers in receipt of benefits or tax credits.
	Since its launch in June 2000, the new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme—which is now marketed as Warm Front—has helped over 400,000 households through the installation of a range of insulation and heating measures. Warm Front is the Government's main programme for tackling fuel poverty, aimed at the most vulnerable groups in the private sector in England.
	The Community Energy Programme is a £50 million grant programme operational from 2002–04 aiming to promote community heating in the UK, primarily through the use of CHP. It will install and refurbish community heating schemes, benefiting people on low incomes while contributing to the Climate Change Programme by reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 0.15 million tonnes of carbon a year.
	Part L of the Building Regulations covering energy efficiency provisions was revised in October 2001 and the changes came into effect in 2002. These require work on new buildings and the refurbishment of the existing stock to conform to higher energy efficiency standards including those relating to building insulation, air-tightness, lighting, space heating, hot water, boiler performance and replacement glazing. It is estimated that the package of measures introduced in October will reduce carbon emissions from the domestic sector by 0.8 million tonnes per year by 2010.
	The Treasury introduced in the 2002 Budget, a VAT reduction on certain energy saving materials installed under grant schemes.
	The Government have provided funding for the Energy Saving Trust (EST) to help individual households, local authorities and others improve domestic energy efficiency. Since 2000, EST has created the Practical Help advisory service, expanded its local authority support programme providing dedicated staff to 23 areas across the UK, introduced a new grant scheme for innovative projects and expanded its network of Energy Efficiency Advice Centres providing households with advice and support. EST has developed the Energy Efficiency Recommended (EER) labelling scheme (with energy efficiency manufacturers, retailers and installers) to provide easy identification of energy efficient products. EST has also developed EEI—the network of accredited installers in the insulation and heating industries.

Environment Agency

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she has given the Environment Agency about ethical and sustainable investment of its pension fund.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she has given to the Environment Agency on the investments made by its pension fund.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for the regulatory framework governing the Local Government Pension Scheme, to which the Environment Agency belongs. The investment practice of the agency's pension funds is a matter for their fund managers, supervised by the relevant investment committee, within the regulatory framework set out in SI 1998 No 1831 (the Local Government Pension Scheme (Management and Investment of Funds) Regulations 1998), as amended. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no authority to offer specific advice or guidance on what individual investments should or should not be made.

Environment Agency

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of (a) setting up and (b) running the Environment Agency website, 'What's in Your Backyard' is; how many users on average it has attracted per month; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Environment Agency spent £245,000 in setting up its 'What's in Your Backyard' site, and it incurs running costs of £215,000 per annum.
	The website attracts an average of 35,000 users monthly.

Equids

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received about the proposed EU directive requiring all equids to have passports; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Michael: We consulted on implementation of the EU legislation on horse passports in summer 2000. The proposal for all horses to have passports received the support of the equine industry as represented by the British Horse Industry Confederation (BHIC).
	We have received 16 representations from Members of Parliament on this subject and approximately 100 from horse owners and members of the Association of British Riding Schools.
	We expect shortly to consult further on a proposed order implementing the EU legislation.

EU Rice Regime

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account the European Commission took of the impact of a 50 per cent. cut in the price of rice on the economy of Guyana in its proposals for reform of the EU rice regime.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 January 2003
	The European Commission's proposals for reform of the EU rice regime were published in detailed form only on 22 January 2003. According to the Commission's own explanatory memorandum they are designed to correct current imbalances in the market and to prepare for the liberalisation of trade already agreed under the Everything But Arms initiative.
	Bringing the internal EU rice price closer to world market levels may in the short term reduce the value of certain existing preferential market access arrangements to beneficiaries such as Guyana and others in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries. But in the longer term CAP reform should improve market prospects and opportunities for all developing country exporters.
	We recognise the interests of the ACP countries in the proposals and will be exploring these issues further when negotiations begin.

Exmoor

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance she (a) has given and (b) plans to give to Exmoor following the foot and mouth epidemic.

Alun Michael: The Government has helped businesses adjust to the impact of foot and mouth disease and its aftermath through:
	Setting up the £80 million Business Recovery Fund. This fund, administered by the regional development agencies, funded business improvements, training, and loan interest costs, together with local/regional tourism promotion and rural regeneration projects which helped bring visitors back to rural areas more quickly. The South West Regional Development Agency—covering Exmoor—benefited from an additional £14 million from central Government and the RDA made a further £3 million available from their budgets for FMD-related business recovery measures.
	Deferring tax, VAT and National Insurance payments, without interest charges, for businesses severely affected by foot and mouth disease (with a total amount deferred in excess of £250 million throughout England).
	Helping local authorities defer rate payments and/or give hardship rate relief through the non-domestic rates system by increasing the central Government contribution towards local authority costs of providing relief to rural businesses. 151 rural local authorities could underwrite the cost of giving relief to businesses with properties under £12,000 rateable value generally, and properties under £50,000 rateable value in the 39 worst affected rural authority areas for the 2001–02 financial year, which includes the rural authorities that cover Exmoor. North Devon District Council granted over £240,000 of relief under the scheme; West Somerset District Council granted nearly £390,000; over 95 per cent. of the cost was met by central Government.
	Fast tracking other measures to speed up rural regeneration, for example rapid introduction of mandatory rate relief for pubs, garages and other food shops in small settlements and extending the market towns programme to include towns badly affected by FMD;
	Matching over £14 million in donations from the public to charitable organisations helping farmers and rural communities hit by FMD, including over £40,000 for the Exmoor Trust.
	Providing £0.5 million for the Countryside Access Recovery Fund to promote access to and/or understanding of the countryside.
	In addition, the Exmoor Environmentally Sensitive Area agreement holders, in 2002, collectively received in excess of £1.8 million in management payments and a further £1.44 million in capital grants for Conservation Plan works.

Farm Plastics

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she offers to farmers in respect of the disposal of farm plastics.

Michael Meacher: We will be addressing the question of how to deal with waste non-packaging farm plastics in the forthcoming consultation document on the application of the waste framework directive to agricultural waste, which is due to published in May 2003.

Farm Subsidy

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much subsidy was received directly by farmers in the last 12 months; and what the average subsidy received by (a) arable and (b) livestock farmers was.

Elliot Morley: Direct subsidies paid to farmers in the United Kingdom in the financial year 2000–01 totalled £2,348 million. The Farm Business Survey provides an estimate of average subsidy receipts by full-time farm businesses in England. The table shows average direct subsidies received by farm businesses of different types in 2001–02. Payments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were the responsibility of the devolved authorities in this period.
	These figures include all production related payments, together with agri-environment and rural development payments. They do not include payments made to farmers during the FMD crisis for reasons of disease control or animal welfare. Farmers may also have benefited from payments of market support, though these are also available to traders.
	
		Average direct payments for full-time farm businesses, England, 2001–02 -- £ per farm
		
			  Direct subsidies 
		
		
			 Livestock 14,300 
			 Arable 36,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Average account year end February.
	2. Full-time businesses are defined as those greater than eight European Size Units, an economic measure of size.
	3. 'Livestock' farms cover the following farm type categories used in the Farm Business Survey: cattle and sheep (hill and lowland), dairy and pig and poultry.
	4. 'Arable' farms cover the farm types: specialist cereals and general cropping.

Fisheries

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 13 January 2003, Official Report, column 372W, on fisheries, for what reasons a copy of Opinion of the Legal Service, Council of the European Union, No. 13585/02, Limite, JUR424 PECHE164, dated 29 October 2002, was not passed by her Department to the (a) Scottish Fishermen's Federation and (b) National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations.

Elliot Morley: Documents bearing the classification "Limite" are internal to the Council of the European Union and are not intended for disclosure to the public. Moreover, the Council Legal Service provides legal advice to assist the Council in the course of its work. The opinions are excluded from the categories of Council decisions subject to publication under the Council rules of procedure.
	Under the terms of European Parliament and Council Regulation 1049/2001 it is not open to the Government to decide unilaterally to release a Council Legal Service opinion, unless there is a strong public interest to do so. Recent case law and Council decisions confirm that it is not in the public interest to release documents containing Council Legal Service advice. Release would also run contrary to the principle of Legal Professional Privilege.

GM Crops

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the release consents that contain the GM oilseed rape transformation events Ms8 and Rf3 for each of the years from 1990 to 1999 in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland.

Michael Meacher: The consents under which the GM oilseed rape transformation events Ms8 and Rf3 had permission for release in field trials for each of the years from 1990 to 1999 are given in the table PGS became AgrEvo in 1999 and is now known as Bayer CropScience.
	All the listed consents apply to England, Scotland and Wales but most of the releases took place in England. Some of the consents give permission for a programme of releases covering more than one year and in these cases the years in which sowing the GM oilseed rape was permitted are given.
	
		
			 Year Date of consent Years between 1990—99 in which releases permitted Reference and consent holder 
		
		
			 1995 22 March 1995 1995 95/R15/7 PGS 
			  22 March 1995 1995 95/R15/8 PGS 
			  9 August 1995 1995 95/R15/14 PGS 
			 1996 27 March 1996 1996 96/R15/16 PGS 
			  21 August 1996 1996 96/R15/17 PGS 
			 1997 18 March 1997 1997, 1998 1999 97/R15/18 PGS 
			  3 April 1997 1997 97/R15/19 PGS 
			  1 August 1997 1997 97/R15/20 PGS 
			  1 August 1997 1997 97/R15/21 PGS 
			  4 September 1997 1997 97/R15/22 PGS 
			 1998 19 March 1998 1998 97/R15/23 PGS 
			  10 July 1998 1998, 1999 98/R15/24 PGS 
			  20 August 1998 1998, 1999 (7)98/R20/2 NIAB 
			 1999 22 March 1999 1999 98/R19/18 AgrEvo 
		
	
	(7) National Institute of Agricultural Botany

Greenhouse Gases

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions on industries important to the delivery of Government initiatives aimed at reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Michael Meacher: The UK Climate Change Programme published in November 2000 sets out the range of policy measures—regulation, economic instruments, information programmes and public expenditure—that the Government and the devolved administrations are introducing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to meet the UK's climate change targets. The measures in the Programme will deliver wider environmental, social and economic benefits. Measures to stimulate more efficient use of energy by business, for example, will help improve competitiveness. The Programme is also designed to offer incentives to industry to develop new, low carbon technologies and to exploit the growing international market for more efficient processes and renewable technologies.
	The Programme includes two legislative measures that affect industry directly, each of which was subject to individual regulatory impact assessments as part of the normal policy development process. The industries affected by the legislation will include some that are important to the delivery of the policy measures in the Programme, but the Government has not produced a separate assessment of the specific impacts on them.
	The first legislative measure is the EC Directive 96/61 on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC), which applies an integrated environmental approach to the regulation of certain industrial activities and, inter alia, contributes to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases, as well asimproving the energy efficiency of most of the energy intensive sectors of industry. The impact of the Directive, and the legislation implementing its requirements in England and Wales, was considered in the regulatory impact assessment published on 26 April 2000. It is available on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consult/ippc5/pdf/ippc5.pdf. The Directive has some impact on combined heat and power (CHP) technology, which the Government is supporting because of its high efficiency.
	The second legislative measure is the energy efficiency provisions contained in Part L of the Building Regulations for England and Wales, which were amended by the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2001. The aim is to improve the energy performance of all types of building, including those used for industrial and commercial purposes, to reduce energy use and therefore emissions of carbon dioxide. The Building Regulations are the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The amendments came into force on 1 April 2002. A regulatory impact assessment for the Regulations was published by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (now the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) when the Regulations were made. It is available on the ODPM website at http://www.safety.odpm.gov.uk/bregs/brpub/ria/ria-01/index.htm. I understand that, in accordance with normal practice, the Office intends to investigate how the amended Regulations are being implemented around 2004, when there is a sufficient sample of works compliant with the new requirements.

Heritage Assets

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by her Department since May 1997; if she will list such assets; and if she will estimate the total sales proceeds.

Alun Michael: Since Defra was created on 8 June 2001 no heritage or antique assets have been sold.

Illegal Meat Imports

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to prevent illegal meat imports into Britain.

Elliot Morley: Significant progress has been made to implement the Government's action plan, published in March 2002. The action plan will be revised shortly in consultation with stakeholders to include a longer-term enforcement strategy, further development of detection initiatives, and enhanced and coordinated publicity materials.
	A Cabinet Office review of enforcement structures concluded that all activity against smuggling of meat, animal products, fish and plant matter will move to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, to objectives agreed with Defra. A new ministerial group will oversee improved coordination between the main control agencies.
	The results of the disease risk assessment commissioned by Defra from the Veterinary Laboratory Agency, are being subjected to processes of quality assurance and peer review. The full report will be published in the next few weeks when these are complete.
	Extra funding this financial year has been used primarily for additional enforcement officers to perform checks on imports at a number of ports and airports. Legislation was amended in May 2002 to provide enforcement officers with additional search powers, and written guidance was provided to them on the use of these powers, especially with regard to checks for illegal meat imports in passenger baggage.
	Enforcement officers have improved access to intelligence to aid them in deploying anti-smuggling measures since a central computer database was established in April 2001. Notably they receive monthly reports of products seized and notified to Defra.
	We are carrying out a six-month pilot using detector dogs to find illegal animal products in passenger baggage and freight. The pilot is proving valuable in determining the attributes and level of training required for both dogs and their handlers and the back-up services we need to support the dog teams.
	"-ray equipment is being used, on a trial basis, at a seaport to detect illicit material hidden in commercial freight. Defra is working with the Foreign Office and Customs on a pilot to test x-ray technology on air passenger baggage.
	Public awareness is being increased through penalty posters and information leaflets at airports and seaports. Public information videos have been produced and are being broadcast on television. Negotiations are on-going with airlines to show them in-flight. The posters have been updated, and new literature is being produced, to highlight the new tighter personal import rules which came into effect on 1 January 2003 as a result of UK pressure on the European Commission.

Illegal Meat Imports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the Veterinary Laboratory Agency risk analysis report into animal health from illegal meat importation.

Elliot Morley: Emerging results of the risk assessment are currently being subjected to peer review and quality assurance procedures. The complexity of the work, and the necessity to complete the quality assurance and peer review processes, have delayed publication. We now hope to be in a position to publish by early March.

Illegal Meat Imports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what instructions her Department has issued to local authority environment health officers and port health authorities about illegal meat importation.

Elliot Morley: The Department produced new enforcement guidance in conjunction with the enforcement agencies. This was published in August 2002 and has just been updated to take account of the new European personal import rules that came into force on 1 January. We are also discussing prosecutions policy with enforcement agencies.
	The Food Standards Agency has also issued guidance letters to port health authorities and local authorities to ensure there is continued vigilance and checks on imported products both at the point of import and at the retail level. In collaboration with Defra, the FSA is developing a training programme to provide information to all local authorities on imported food issues.

Illegal Meat Imports

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to prevent the illegal entry of meat into the UK.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 January 2003
	Significant progress has been made to implement the Government's action plan, published in March 2002. The action plan will be revised shortly in consultation with stakeholders to include a longer-term enforcement strategy, further development of detection initiatives, and enhanced and coordinated publicity materials
	A Cabinet Office review of enforcement structures concluded that all activity against smuggling of meat, animal products, fish and plant matter will move to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, to objectives agreed with Defra. A new ministerial group will oversee improved co-ordination between the main control agencies.
	The results of the disease risk assessment commissioned by Defra from the Veterinary Laboratory Agency, are being subjected to processes of quality assurance and peer review. The full report will be published in the next few weeks when these are complete.
	Extra funding this financial year has been used primarily for additional enforcement officers to perform checks on imports at a number of ports and airports.
	Legislation was amended in May 2002 to provide enforcement officers with additional search powers, and written guidance was provided to them on the use of these powers, especially with regard to checks for illegal meat imports in passenger baggage.
	Enforcement officers have improved access to intelligence to aid them in deploying anti-smuggling measures since a central computer database was established in April 2001. Notably they receive monthly reports of products seized and notified to Defra.
	We are carrying out a six-month pilot using detector dogs to find illegal animal products in passenger baggage and freight. The pilot is proving valuable in determining the attributes and level of training required for both dogs and their handlers and the back up services we need to support the dog teams.
	"-ray equipment is being used, on a trial basis, at a seaport to detect illicit material hidden in commercial freight. Defra is working with the Foreign Office and Customs on a pilot to test x-ray technology on air passenger baggage.
	Public awareness is being increased through penalty posters and information leaflets at airports and seaports, Public information videos have been produced and are being broadcast on television. Negotiations are ongoing with airlines to show them in-flight. The posters have been updated, and new literature is being produced, to highlight the new tighter personal import rules which came into effect on 1 January 2003 as a result of UK pressure on the European Commission.

Landfill

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) number and (b) total size is of landfill sites due to close in each year up until 2015, broken down by region.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 11 December 2002
	This information is not available in the form requested. Landfill are operated by private companies and the commercial decisions in relation to closure are a matter for them. Some landfills will be closed as a result of regulatory action by the Environment Agency, but predicting how many and when is not possible.
	Information that is available relates to England and Wales and comes from the conditioning plan exercise conducted by the Environment Agency. The number of landfill sites that will remain operational post July 2002 and post 2004, broken down by classification (hazardous, non-hazardous and inert) and by region is as follows:
	
		
			 Region Non-hazardous Inert Hazardous (post 2002) Hazardous (post 2004) 
		
		
			 Anglian 43 60 47 9 
			 Midlands 50 74 42 4 
			 North East 89 58 39 11 
			 North West 49 37 27 8 
			 South West 39 46 16 1 
			 Southern 30 35 13 1 
			 Thames 31 49 19 0 
			 Wales 23 30 15 3 
			 Total 311 329 218 37

Ministerial Travel

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the total expenditure by her Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad, in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 344W.

Recycling

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much recyclable waste was collected in Somerset in 2002.

Michael Meacher: This information is not held centrally. I would advise the hon. Member to contact the Head of Waste Services and Rural Affairs at Somerset County Council on 01823 356014 for this information.

Recycling (Household Waste)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statutory performance standards local authorities are required to meet for the percentage of household waste sent for recycling or composting in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2005–06; and what the performance against target for waste recycling was in (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 20 January 2003
	Statutory performance standards for individual authorities in the relevant years are set out in a table which has been placed in the Library. It also shows performance targets for household waste recycling for 2001–02 and is published on Defra's website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/management/guidance/mwms/10.htm.

Recycling (Tyres)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has made to the Department of Trade and Industry regarding the UK's submissions to the EU discussions and decision-making process on the packaging waste recycling targets under the new Packaging Waste Directive.

Michael Meacher: The Department has been in close contact with the Department of Trade and Industry throughout the discussions of the draft Directive to ensure that environmental considerations are fully taken into account in arriving at an agreed Government line. Officials from DEFRA attend meetings in Brussels along with representatives from the DTI.

Recycling (Tyres)

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has for promoting the use of old tyres as a surfacing material;
	(2)  what targets she has set for the recycling and retreading of tyres.

Michael Meacher: The Government are supporting a number of end-use studies for used tyres, including the incorporation of tyre granulate in road surfaces.
	The EC Landfill Directive, in banning the disposal of almost all tyres to landfill, effectively sets a 100 per cent. recovery requirement. Within that overall recovery requirement, there are no individual targets for the recycling and retreading of tyres, and the Government have no present plans for introducing such targets. Figures for 2001 show that value was recovered from over 60 per cent. of the estimated 480,000 tonnes of tyres disposed of in the UK that year. Significant additional recovery capacity has since been brought forward and is anticipated to be taken up as the landfill directive requirements bear down.
	The Government in partnership with the tyre industry through the Used Tyre Working Group (UTWG) are investigating alternative disposal, recycling and recovery options for those tyres displaced from landfill with the aim of ensuring that sufficient capacity is available to handle those tyres.

Refrigerator Disposal

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are in place to monitor compliance with her Department's guidelines on the disposal of refrigerators; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 20 January 2003
	To monitor the disposal of refrigerators, we have asked local authorities to report on the number of fridges they have dealt with as part of the national waste monitoring questionnaire.
	To monitor recycling processes, the Environment Agency have been working closely with plant operators to ensure that they meet the performance standards set out in their permit conditions.
	Treatment plant have been operating in the UK since the summer, local authorities are in the process of letting contracts with operators, and the backlog of stored fridges is decreasing and expected to disappear within a year.

Sickness Absence

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many working days have been lost in her Department and its predecessors due to illness in each year since 1997–98.

Alun Michael: Records are not yet available for the number of days lost due to sickness absence in 2002, but these will be announced in due course. Sickness absence figures for previous years are published in the Cabinet Office annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service", copies of which are placed in House Libraries.
	Figures for the most recently available years for the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the former DETR and are shown as an average per staff year. These are:
	
		MAFF
		
			 Year Days 
		
		
			 1997 7.8 
			 1998 8.7 
			 1999 9.3 
			 2000 9 
			 2001 7.2 
		
	
	
		DETR
		
			 Year Days 
		
		
			 1997 9.7 
			 1998 8.7 
			 1999 8.7 
			 2000 9.0 
			 2001 10.5 
		
	
	The Department is committed to the effective management of sickness absence, and to meeting its Service Delivery Agreement of reducing sickness absence to 6.9 days for 2003.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Sites of Special Scientific Interest there were in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire for each year since 1997.

Elliot Morley: The figures for the number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997 are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 (8)25 
			 1998 26 
			 1999 26 
			 2000 28 
			 2001 28 
			 2002 28 
			 2003 28 
		
	
	(8) One more than previously reported in 2001 due to improved mapping and boundary definition.
	In Shropshire as a whole:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 (9)103 
			 1998 (10)107 
			 1999 (10)108 
			 2000 (10)110 
			 2001 (10)110 
			 2002 (10)110 
			 2003 (10)110 
		
	
	(9) Of which two are partly in Shropshire
	(10) Of which three are partly in Shropshire.

Thames Barrier

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she intends to carry out in the next 12 months to determine whether the Thames Barrier is sufficiently able to protect London in the event of a tidal surge.

Elliot Morley: The Thames Barrier and associated defences provide a high standard of protection to London and the Thames Estuary against a combination of tidal/fluvial flood risks, the principal risk being from tidal surge events.
	A generous allowance for sea level rise was built into the design for the Thames Barrier and associated defences and thus we have today a standard of 0.05 per cent. risk of flooding from tidal surge in any one year. As sea level rises, this standard of protection will reduce as planned to the design standard of 0.1 per cent. risk of flooding from tidal surge by the year 2030. This will provide a level of protection equivalent to 2 metres above the maximum level of the 1953 flood event and is the highest standard of protection in the UK.
	The Environment Agency, with Defra support, is engaged in a number of studies and investigations which are reviewing the current and future needs of London's tidal defences, including the overarching planning and research project "Planning for Flood Risk management in the Thames Estuary". This is developing a flood risk management strategy for London and the Thames Estuary for the next 100 years, and includes climate change research, geomorphological and flood modelling, engineering studies and the development of management intervention and decision-testing models. This is the first year of a six year project which will provide a plan for the establishment of the next generation of tidal defences for London and the Thames Estuary post 2030.

Timber

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities which (a) have responded to the Environment Minister's letter on timber procurement from 19 September 2002, (b) have confirmed that they have policies to ensure that all timber purchased is from legal and sustainable sources and (c) do not have policies to ensure timber procurement from legal and sustainable sources; and what percentage of local authorities have taken action under (a), (b) and (c).

Michael Meacher: holding answer 8 January 2003
	My letter of 19 September 2002 asked chief executives of local authorities in England to pledge their support to a commitment to purchase timber from legal and sustainably managed sources, and to put in place the necessary procedures to ensure its effective implementation. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet (Colin Burgon) on 28 July 2000, Official Report, column 947W, on how Central Government sets its policy.
	Replies have been received from the following local authorities: Basingstoke and Deane, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Braintree, Bristol, Broadland, Buckinghamshire, Bury, Calderdale, Camden, Chelmsford, Chichester, Copeland, Cornwall, Cotsworld, Derbyshire, East Cambridgeshire, East Lindsey, East Staffordshire, East Sussex, Eastbourne, Eastleigh, Epping Forest, Fareham, Gateshead, Gloucester, Gosport, Hampshire, Harlow, Harrogate, Harrow, Hart, Havant, Huntingdonshire, Kensington and Chelsea, Kent, Kerrier, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lewes, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Malvern Hills, Manchester, Mansfield, Melton, New Forest, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Norfolk, North Devon, North Shropshire, North Somerset, Northumberland, Purbeck, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmondshire, Rochdale, Salford, Sheffield, Shepway, South Oxfordshire, South Ribble, South Somerset, South Staffordshire, St. Albans, St. Edmundsbury, Staffordshire, Stockport, Swindon, Tandridge, Tendring, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Wandsworth, Wellingborough, West Lindsey, Westminster, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worcestershire, Wyre Forest and Yorkshire.
	The 88 authorities that replied represent 23 per cent. of the 387 written to. Of those that replied, 46 (52 per cent.) confirmed they had policies in place, and 36 (41 per cent.) were either putting or considering putting policies in place. Some of the respondents, however, did not specifically stipulate that timber should be sourced from both legal and sustainably managed sources. Six (7 per cent.) were using other strategies such as procuring through regional buying consortiums that had sustainable procurement policies in place. The information received is now over three months old and, therefore, it is possible that more of these authorities will now have policies in place.
	I am in the process of writing again to request a response from those that did not reply. I will be updating them on progress being made by the Government on implementing its policy and stressing the importance we place on them declaring their position.

Waste Disposal Plants

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she sets county councils when deciding on permission for waste disposal plants.

Michael Meacher: Guidance on the siting of waste management facilities is provided in Planning Policy Guidance Note 10 'Planning and waste Management', which was published by the then DETR in September 1999. Applications for planning permission have to be decided in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise, including taking account of national and regional policy and planning guidance.

PRIME MINISTER

Entertainment

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1444–48W.
	For 2001–02, the total cost of official entertainment to my Office at 10 Downing Street and Chequers was £53,050.
	Information prior to 1997–98 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Press Releases

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each (a) year and (b) quarter from 1995–96 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: Information on the number of press releases issued by my Office is given in the table.
	
		
			  Number of press notices 
		
		
			 1997 (from 1 May) 86 
			 1998 143 
			 1999 138 
			 2000 129 
			 2001 120 
			 2002 114 
		
	
	The majority of press releases issued by my Office relate to appointments. The numbers do not include my speeches or statements made to the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cayman Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Leader of the Government of the Cayman Islands and (b) the Cayman Islands Financial Reporting Unit on money laundering.

Mike O'Brien: My noble Friend Baroness Amos, Overseas Territories Minister, is in close touch with the Leader of Government Business in the Cayman Islands. They spoke most recently on 20 January.
	There have been no Ministerial discussions with the Financial Reporting Unit (FRU) in the Cayman Islands.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in each of the last five years, broken down by each category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Bill Rammell: I regret that the detailed information requested is not available. But over the last five years disciplinary action has been taken in the following cases:
	1999—Two cases of browsing inappropriate Internet sites
	1999—One case of downloading pornographic material
	2001—Two cases of browsing inappropriate Internet sites
	2001—One case of using offensive language in an e-mail.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government supports the Franco-German proposals for the President of the European Commission to be elected by the European Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Government welcomes the French and German joint contribution to the Convention on the Future of Europe. We are studying their proposal for the President of the European Commission to be elected by the European Parliament and I am holding consultations with other EU partners on what is, at this stage, merely one of many proposals put to the convention.

Cyprus

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role the British Government are playing in the negotiations to unify the island of Cyprus.

Denis MacShane: We fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his special adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto. The Government believe that a crucial opportunity has now arisen for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement in Cyprus. While it is for the two sides in Cyprus to agree on the details of a settlement, we strongly urge the parties to reach agreement, based on the UN Secretary-General's 10 December 2002 proposals, by the UN deadline of 28 February.
	This would enable referenda to be held on both sides of the island and a reunited Cyprus to sign the Treaty of Accession with the EU on 16 April. Our aim remains for a reunited island to accede to the EU. We believe this is in the best interests of Cyprus, of Greece and Turkey, and of the wider European community.
	This is a vital opportunity: we urge the two sides not to let it slip away.
	We have taken every opportunity to convey these points to the parties. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary expressed these points to Turkish Ministers at the Copenhagen European Council. The Defence Secretary did likewise during his visit to Ankara on 8 January.
	The UK Special Representative for Cyprus, Lord Hannay, will visit Athens and Nicosia this week, and Ankara at the beginning of February, in order to help facilitate negotiations at this crucial time.

Cyprus

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect Cyprus' accession to the EU will have on the status of the British sovereign bases on the island.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 10 December 2002, Official Report, column 10WS, and to the answer given in another place by my noble Friend Baroness Symons on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 123.
	The UK's policy is that, following Cyprus's accession, the SBAs should remain outside the EU, with technical adjustments to ensure the continued smooth functioning of the relationship between Cyprus and the SBAs. We expect final agreement to take the form of a protocol which will be part of the terms of Cyprus's accession. The accession treaty is due to be signed on 16 April, and a Bill introduced to enable its ratification by the UK.

Empty Homes

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many empty homes his Department (a) had five years ago and (b) has now, by region; if he will establish an empty homes strategy within his Department; and if he will set a target for reduction in empty homes.

Bill Rammell: It is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's policy to limit empty properties to one of four categories: (a) those that must be vacated while undergoing refurbishment or adaptation; (b) those that are surplus and in the process of disposal; (c) those we cannot occupy because of a break in diplomatic relations or a similar eventuality, but we expect to need in the future; (d) those that are vacant for short periods between officers' overseas tours.
	Routine management of the FCO estate is devolved to our overseas posts and information is not held centrally. It is therefore not possible to identify these properties or their costs without disproportionate cost.

Energy Supplies (Security)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions with other (a) Departments and (b) Governments his Department has had over the last 12 months with regard to the British Foreign Policy objective of ensuring secure energy supplies.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has participated in regular cross-Whitehall discussions on the security of energy supply, most importantly, in the context of the Energy White Paper.
	The FCO has had regular bilateral and multilateral discussions on a range of energy issues, including the security of energy supplies, with both energy producing and energy consuming countries.

Entertainment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Comparable information is only available for the years 2000–01 to 2002–3. The following figures show the actual spend on entertainment within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the first two of these years, with a forecast for year three based upon expenditure to date:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			  
			  
			 2000–01 8,337,306 
			 2001–02 8,708,262 
			 2002–03 8,566,545 
		
	
	All expenditure on entertainment within the department is carefully monitored to ensure that it is made in accordance with departmental guidance that is based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".

Industrial Action/Illness

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many working days have been lost in his Department and its predecessors due to (a) industrial action and (b) illness in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not lost any days due to industrial action since 1997. The number of days lost due to sick absence are as follows:
	
		
			  Average days per officer 
		
		
			 1997 8.9 
			 1998 8.0 
			 1999 n/a 
			 2000 6.3 
			 2001 6.6 
			 2002 5.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for 1997 to 1998 have been uplifted to account for different recording practices in different parts of the Department and its overseas posts.
	2. Figures for 1999 could only be provided at disproportionate costs, the method of recording changed part way through 1999.
	3. FCO figures are recorded as total days (not working days).

Kenya

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on compensation for alleged victims of repression by the British authorities in Kenya during the period of the Mau Mau rebellion and before Kenyan independence; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Ten different individuals and organisations have made representations to the British High Commission in Nairobi since January 1999 to ask for compensation for alleged victims of repression by the British authorities during the period of the Mau Mau rebellion. The latest approach was on 19 October 2002 on behalf of the "Mau Mau Original Trust". In addition, BHC officials received a delegation of Mau Mau veterans on 23 October 2002. Responsibility for the actions of the colonial Government of Kenya passed to the Government of Kenya at Independence in 1963.

United Nations Organisations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official representations have been made during the last six months to UN organisations on behalf of the United Kingdom at the UN; and what the results were of those representations.

Jack Straw: The UK makes daily representations to UN organisations and agencies, and to other members of the UN, on a wide range of issues.
	Examples of the UN's achievements in the last six months to which UK representations have contributed include:
	The unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1441 and the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq;
	The successful transition of the International Police Task Force in Bosnia to the European Union Police Mission;
	The adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1445 strengthening UN action against Al-Qaida;
	The adoption, by a large majority, of a new international human rights instrument to combat torture: the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture;
	The adoption of General Assembly Resolutions on major human rights thematic issues, including torture, rights of the child, rights of the disabled and honour crimes;
	Significant agreements on international sustainable development governance at the World Summit for Sustainable Development: e.g. access to sanitation, biodiversity, chemicals management and sustainable production and consumption;
	Lifting sanctions in Angola.

Visas

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many applications for a visa to visit family members in the UK were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused by entry clearance posts, in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002;
	(2)  how many applications for a visa to visit family members in the UK were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused by those entry clearance posts that provide monthly statistical information in each month since 1 October 2000.

Bill Rammell: The figures for Family Visit Applications received, determined and refused since October 2000 are set out as follows.
	
		Family visit applications
		
			  January February March April May June 
		
		
			 2000   
			 Received — — — — — — 
			 Determined — — — — — — 
			 Refused — — — — — — 
			
			 2001   
			 Received 13,612 15,975 20,811 22,560 32,220 32,292 
			 Determined 11,432 14,574 19,533 22,142 30,182 28,156 
			 Refused 2,305 2,831 4,205 3,979 5,178 5,610 
			
			 2002   
			 Received 15,904 18,759 23,207 27,137 33,299 26,706 
			 Determined 13,477 15,306 19,221 24,765 28,465 21,023 
			 Refused 3,208 3,881 4,363 5,497 5,908 3,425 
		
	
	
		
			  July August September October November December 
		
		
			 2000   
			 Received — — — 20,809 15,868 12,456 
			 Determined — — — 20,530 15,758 12,386 
			 Refused — — — 2,022 1,893 1,283 
			
			 2001   
			 Received 36,998 28,899 17,981 13,908 16,251 14,551 
			 Determined 35,559 26,895 17,858 13,256 15,587 13,886 
			 Refused 5,887 5,138 4,225 3,344 4,136 2,706 
			
			 2002   
			 Received 31,235 23,382 17,591 17,896 19,307 13,617 
			 Determined 29,360 22,984 16,641 17,149 17,780 12,197 
			 Refused 5,184 6,187 4,959 4,713 4,668 2,714

Yugoslavia

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assistance the Government has provided to the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to undertake investigations into the activities of arms dealers involved in the illegal supply of weapons to (a) West Africa and (b) Iraq;
	(2)  what the outcomes of his meeting on 6 November 2002 with the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were regarding the illegal supply of weapons to (a) West Africa and (b) Iraq; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assistance (a) the EU and (b) the UK have provided to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to develop arms export legislation.

Denis MacShane: When he met President Kostunica and Foreign Minister Svilanovic in late 2002, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our serious concerns about reports of arms sales from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) to Iraq and Liberia, in breach of UN sanctions. He urged them to ensure a thorough investigation, leading to prosecutions of those responsible. Since then Mr. Cekovic, Head of Jugoimport, and Mr. Djokic, Assistant Minister for Defence, have been sacked, the Jugoimport office in Baghdad closed and a commission established to investigate Jugoimport's activities. The FRY has also cancelled a bilateral agreement with Iraq and suspended bilateral military industrial agreements with all states that are subject to UN sanctions. Svilanovic has promised further investigation and possible prosecutions. The United Kingdom is considering the provision of technical assistance to the FRY to ensure effective regulation of arms exports. On 10 December UK experts visited Belgrade to conduct a preliminary assessment; a follow-up visit will take place soon. The EU provides support to the FRY's reform process, including improving the democratic control of the armed forces, from its Common Foreign and Security Policy budget.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list his meetings in the last 12 months with representatives of Zimbabwean (a) Government, (b) opposition, (c) churches, (d) humanitarian organisations, (e) sports organisations and (f) commercial interests.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the former Zimbabwean Minister of Finance, Dr. Simba Makoni, on 6 February 2002, who was transiting the UK on his return to Zimbabwe from the World Economic Summit in New York.
	FCO officials are regularly in contact with a range of Zimbabweans, including from all the groups specified.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he collates on the extent of Government inspired murder and torture in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We monitor closely the situation in Zimbabwe and regularly receive detailed information on human rights violations there from a number of sources, including human rights organisations and other NGOs. The UK Government, along with other members of the international community, has consistently condemned the Government of Zimbabwe for its appalling record on human rights and have called on it to respect its obligations under international human rights conventions. Along with our EU partners, the UK Government will continue to focus international attention on human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the steps taken by (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) the Commonwealth troika to end misgovernment and reintroduce democracy and the rule of law in Zimbabwe.

Bill Rammell: The UK Government have taken a number of measures in response to the situation in Zimbabwe including; an outright rejection of the conduct and outcome of the Presidential election in March 2002; a complete embargo on arms sales since May 2000; a suspension of non-humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of our military training team. Working with our EU partners, we have also imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and assets freeze, on 79 members of the Mugabe regime.
	The Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe from its Councils in March 2002. The Commonwealth Troika is pressing for good governance and the rule of law to be restored in Zimbabwe. It last met in Abuja on 23 September 2002. It deferred a decision on further Commonwealth measures, but stated that it would stick to its task over the next six months "at which point further measures might need to be considered". It is due to meet again in March.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when in the last 12 months representatives of Her Majesty's Government have visited each province of Zimbabwe.

Bill Rammell: Officials based at the High Commission in Harare regularly visit provinces throughout Zimbabwe in the course of their duties. London based officials have also visited provinces in Zimbabwe in the last twelve months. It would entail disproportionate cost to list the details. No Government Minister has visited Zimbabwe in the last twelve months.

Zimbabwe

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resolutions have been tabled on behalf of the United Kingdom at the UN concerning the application of more international pressure on Mr. Robert Mugabe and his government.

Jack Straw: As a UK initiative, EU member states tabled a draft resolution on Zimbabwe at the 58th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva in March/April 2002. Regrettably, the African Group blocked discussion. Despite this, the UK's attempt to secure a resolution served to highlight the Zimbabwe Government's appalling human rights record.
	We welcome the UN Secretary General's recent statement that: "At the heart of the problem is the crisis in Zimbabwe—a country which used to be the region's breadbasket, but is now wracked by hunger and HIV/AIDS. This tragic situation is caused partly by forces of nature, and partly by mismanagement".

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Iraq

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what evaluation she has made of the impact of suspension of the UN Oil for Food programme on civilians' food needs in Iraq.

Clare Short: Suspension of the UN Oil for Food Programme could have an extremely serious impact on civilians' food needs in Iraq. My Department is considering a range of eventualities in Iraq and is in regular discussion about them with other governments and UN agencies.

Iraq

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the ability of the UN Oil for Food programme to continue in the event of military action in Iraq.

Clare Short: I am concerned about the ability if the UN Oil for Food programme to continue in the event of military action in Iraq. It is important for all parties to ensure that humanitarian provision for the people of Iraq is given priority under all eventualities.

Iraq

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the US Government regarding the protection of food supplies in the event of military intervention in Iraq.

Clare Short: My Department is in regular contact with the US Government on contingency preparedness planning for a range of eventualities in Iraq.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Defence Secretary regarding co-ordination of the military and humanitarian strategy in Iraq in the event of war.

Clare Short: My Department consults regularly with the Ministry of Defence on a variety of issues at official and ministerial level. This includes consideration of a range of eventualities in Iraq.

Afghanistan

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent reports she has received on female education in Afghanistan; what assessment her Department has made of the level of female education in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: During my visit to Afghanistan in late October I visited a school in Kabul, this was one of many that have reopened across Afghanistan. In the past year 3 million children have returned to school and girls now make up 30 per cent. of school children. Estimates are that 7,000 schools for 4.5 million children will re-open on 21 March for the new year. Women are also seeking education to make up for a time when they were unable to study. Accurate figures are not available, but estimates are that literacy rates for women over 15 are less than 25 per cent. It remains difficult for women and girls to gain education in some parts of Afghanistan but we are supporting the fghan Government in assisting all those who wish to, to access education.

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcome was of the December meeting of donors in Oslo to discuss aid to Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The Afghanistan Support Group (ASG) in December brought together the Afghan Government, the United Nations and donors to discuss progress already made in Afghanistan and the next steps in the reconstruction process. A key element of the ASG was the launch of the 2003 UN appeal for the Transitional Assistance Programme forAfghanistan. Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani also made a brief presentation on the budget for the coming year. Few donors were in a position to make specific pledges 2003 but most were able to confirm that they expected to provide a similar level of funding as they had provided for 2002; around $1 .Sbillion.
	It was also agreed by all present that this would be the final ASG. A new Development Forum, designed to ensure greater Afghan leadership of the reconstruction effort will supersede it. The new forum will have 12 Consultative Groups within its structure where selected donors can work with government on specific sectors. Until such time as the first Development Forum in March, the Japanese agreed to lead a transitional humanitarian group on humanitarian issues in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Clare Short: A great deal has been achieved since January 2002, when we pledged £200 million to the reconstruction of Afghanistan at the Tokyo conference. A broad-based Transitional Administration has been elected. A new currency has been issued. 3 million children have returned to school, and polio has almost been eradicated.
	The 2002 harvest saw grain production rise by 80 per cent. compared to 2001. The power station and airport in Kabul are being refurbished. The rebuilding of the roads system has begun, and work is continuing on customs reform and the drafting of a new constitution.
	However, much remains to be done. One of the most pressing issues is to improve security for those living outside Kabul, and to extend the authority of the elected government beyond the capital. This is of fundamental importance to both the reconstruction effort, and in order to ensure human rights are respected. In December President Karzai issued a decree setting out plans for a multi-ethnic national army, and in the last month the first Provincial Reconstruction Team was deployed in Gardez province, under US leadership. First reports indicate that the security situation has improved as a result. The UK is actively considering leading a PRT in the future.
	An important development has been the signing by Afghanistan's neighbours of Good Neighbourly Relations declaration by Afghanistan's neighbours. The declaration, essentially an agreement to maintain constructive relations and not to seek influence by exploiting ethnic rivalries, was signed by all Afghanistan's immediate neighbours in December 2002.
	Work on humanitarian relief is also continuing. We contributed £11 million to the UN's Winterisation programme to help ensure that vulnerable communities had adequate shelter and food over the winter, and a further £2 million to the UN snow-clearing operation to ensure that aid reaches remote communities. Early indications are that this programme is going well, helped by a relatively mild winter. DFID will shortly be conducting a humanitarian assessment mission to formulate our strategy for the coming year.
	The Development Forum meeting in Kabul in March will be important in setting the priorities for reconstruction and international assistance over the next year.

Alternative Crop Projects

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts regarding damage to alternative crop projects funded by EU, following fumigation with pesticides by United States helicopters.

Clare Short: I have held discussions with my European Union colleagues how to reduce production of illegal narcotics in developing countries by providing viable alternative livelihood opportunities for producing farmers. I have not specifically discussed damage to European Commission-funded alternative crop projects from fumigation with pesticides, or any other sources

Colombia

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made with the EU contribution to Plan Colombia.

Clare Short: The EU supports the efforts of the Colombian Government to put an end to the violence affecting the country. However, the EU does not contribute to Plan Colombia because it has reservations about some aspects of the plan and it does not support with aid any initiative with a military dimension.
	In October 2000 the EU announced an aid package of euros 140 million towards the support of ongoing Colombian activities in the search for peace, targeting the roots and causes of the conflict and providing humanitarian assistance to the victims of the conflict.

Entertainment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the estimate is of the total spending of her Department in all forms of entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The following table shows recorded DFID spending from the running cost budget on entertainment for the years in question, to the nearest £000.
	
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 1994–95 7,000 
			 1995–96 9,000 
			 1996–97 10,000 
			 1997–98 24,000 
			 1998–99 43,000 
			 1999–2000 62,000 
			 2000–01 48,000 
			 2001–02 55,000 
			 2002–03(11) 74,000 
		
	
	(11) Estimated
	For the earlier years some expenditure may not have been separately recorded.
	All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.

Ethiopia

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to secure resources to assist rural investment in Ethiopia and prevent future food crises.

Clare Short: One of the priorities for our assistance programme in Ethiopia is to help address the roots of food insecurity. This means looking at long-term approaches to reducing poverty and vulnerability—such as promoting broad-based economic growth, market development and rural roads. We are working with other bilateral and multilateral donors to achieve this whilst continuing to respond to short-term humanitarian demands.

Ethiopia

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to secure international commitment to increased interim aid for Ethiopia.

Clare Short: We are committed to long-term partnership with Ethiopia, which includes support to addressing the underlying causes of food insecurity. In addition, we continue to play our part in providing humanitarian assistance, including food aid when necessary. We plan to substantially increase our development budget for Ethiopia over the next three years. Whilst doing this, we are in agreement with the Government of Ethiopia that donors should harmonise their efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of development assistance.

Ethiopia

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia.

Clare Short: The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia is a matter of great concern. However, we consider that the Government of Ethiopia, donors and NGOs are coordinating their response well to ensure that this does not become a crisis.
	As always we remain committed to playing our part in the international response. During 2002 we committed £32.3 million to food and non-food humanitarian assistance. This included £15 million for food aid to be distributed by the World Food Programme in late January and February 2003.

Ethiopia

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department intends to move to direct budget support for Ethiopia.

Clare Short: During my visit to Ethiopia last week, along with the Ethiopian Finance Minister, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering the long-term development partnership between the UK and Government of Ethiopia to tackle poverty. The Memorandum indicates that we plan to provide at least 60 million of direct budget support over the next three years. We expect to disburse the first 10 million of this within the next month.

Ethiopia

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of her Department's budget for Ethiopia will be disbursed by (a) direct budget support and (b) NGOs (i) as a proportion of her Department's assistance to Ethiopia and (ii) by value.

Clare Short: We currently expect development programme spending in Ethiopia, where the total will be split approximately two-thirds direct budget support and one-third technical assistance. We will continue to do some work with civil society and local and international NGOs where this can help deliver our poverty reduction objectives.
	On current plans we hope to commit at least 60 million on direct budget support and 30 million on technical cooperation over the next three years. In addition to the development programme spending a proportion of our humanitarian assistance will also continue to be provided through NGOs.

External Consultants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body spent on external consultancy in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (planned); and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: DFID expenditure on consultancies from the development programme since 1995–96 is given in the table:
	
		
			 Year £ million 
		
		
			 1995–96 143 
			 1996–97 161 
			 1997–98 204 
			 1998–99 199 
			 1999–2000 198 
			 2000–01 209 
			 2001–02 (12)198 
		
	
	(12) Expenditure is understated due to the move to Resource Accounting. DFID issued contracts valued at £302 million.
	The figures for agencies/Non Departmental Public bodies are not held centrally and it would require disproportionate cost to obtain them.
	Figures for planned expenditure on external consultancy are not available. DFID has issued contracts from 1 April 2002 to date, valued at £222 million.

Fraud and Theft

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money has been lost by her Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies through (a) fraud and (b) theft in each year since 1996–97.

Clare Short: The estimated cost to DFID's budget of theft and fraud in the period 1April 1996 to 31 March 2002 is some £367,000 of which £207,000 can be attributed to contractor fraud. Of the remaining sum, £129,000 relates to the theft of assets and misappropriation of cash, which in line with Treasury guidance has been classified as involving departmental staff either directly or through collusion. Details of suspected or proven fraud are provided to the Treasury on an annual basis. The annual report that the Treasury prepares on fraud is deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Health and Safety

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department and its agencies have met the commitment arising from Action Point 13 of the June 2000 Strategy statement on revitalising health and safety to summarise health and safety performance and plans in annual reports from the year 2000–01 onwards.

Clare Short: My Department will meet the commitment in its forthcoming Departmental Annual Report covering performance in the calendar year 2002. We have no agencies.

Health and Safety

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which senior officials within her Department and its agencies take responsibility for health and safety at board or equivalent level; and where their names are publicised.

Clare Short: My Department's Health and Safety Policy (which is agreed with the trade unions and published in its Staff Handbook, on its Departmental Intranet site and elsewhere) contains the following:
	"The Permanent Secretary recognises and accepts responsibility for providing a safe and healthy workplace and working environment for all staff and will take all practicable steps to meet that responsibility."

Health and Safety

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information she has collated on the application to her Department and its agencies of the checklist, circulated by letter by Sir Richard Mottram, referred to under Action Point 12 of the revitalising health and safety strategy statement; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to her by the Minister for Work on 20 January, Official Report, columns 85–86W. Within my Department the requirements of the checklist will be reflected in any future revision of our Health and Safety Policy and structured health and safety management systems.

Humanitarian Contingency Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her colleagues in (a) the US, (b) the EU and (c) the UN, regarding humanitarian contingency planning for humanitarian aid to Iraq in the event of war with Iraq.

Clare Short: My Department has regular discussions with the US, EU partners and the UN on general contingency preparedness planning in a number of countries. In the case of Iraq, planning is underway for a range of eventualities.

Kenya

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the European Commission on the Westlands-St. Austin Road Project in Kenya; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: None. The construction of the road referred to took place from 1990 to 1993. Officials from the then Overseas Development Administration were aware of various complaints from people living in communities (not between Westlands and St. Austin, but further north on the same road) and discussed these with European Commission officials. The EC Ombudsman subsequently investigated and concluded that there had been no mal-administration on the part of the EC.

Kenya

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the timetable is for reviewing UK bilateral aid to Kenya.

Clare Short: I visited Kenya last week and had discussions with Kenyan Ministers on how Britain could best help the new Government deliver quickly on its election promises to stamp out corruption, revive the economy and improve public services. We are already reviewing our bilateral programme to ensure that we respond effectively and flexibly to the needs of the new Government. I am also pressing the international financial institutions and the European Commission to help the new Government fill the large hole in the public finances which they have inherited.

Malawi

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she plans to support further debt relief to Malawi.

Clare Short: Malawi remains off track with its economic and financial reform programme. An IMF mission which left Lilongwe on 21 January was still unable to give a positive endorsement to the Government's overall performance.
	My Department with the EC and Norway will conduct a separate assessment next month. Meanwhile, in collaboration with other development partners, DFID is continuing a dialogue with the Government of Malawi on measures necessary for resumption of budget support and debt relief.

Mauritania

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of (a) the level of malnutrition and (b) the number of deaths due to malnutrition in the last year in Mauritania.

Clare Short: My Department has not carried out an independent assessment of the level of malnutrition or the number of deaths due to malnutrition in the last year in Mauritania. A survey carried out by the NGO World Vision in November 2002 found acute malnutrition rates amongst children of between 10–15 per cent. in some parts of the country.

Mauritania

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of food shortages in Mauritania; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The World Food Programme (WFP) estimate that there are 750,000 people affected by food shortages. Reports by NGOs, such as Oxfam and World Vision, support this analysis. We are monitoring the situation closely and are providing assistance through contributions to WFP and Oxfam.

Minimum Wage

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage (a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year.

Clare Short: The department's current minimum wage under our three year pay agreement is £5.25 per hour based on a 37 hour week. There would be no financial impact of increasing the minimum wage on the cost of departmental salaries until £5.30 per hour, when the additional cost in the next financial year would be £287 a year and would apply to 11 employees in Scotland only.

Ministerial Travel

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her estimate is of the total expenditure by her Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 334W.

Multilateral Debt

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on 100 per cent. cancellation of low-income country multilateral debts.

Clare Short: While it is essential to deal with the problem of unsustainable debt in the poorest countries as part of our efforts to assist in eradicating poverty, complete cancellation of debt is not required; nor is it the most effective means of delivering aid resources to reduce poverty. We do not support the proposal for 100 per cent. cancellation of IMF and World bank loans, which is neither desirable nor equitable. For these institutions to provide 100 per cent. relief would risk skewing limited development resources away from other very poor countries, which have handled their debt well. Countries need to borrow—initially only on very concessional terms—to finance their poverty reduction strategies. In this way, they can re-establish their creditworthiness, which will also help them attract private investment and accelerate economic growth and poverty reduction.

Poverty and Wildlife Study

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to implement her Department's study on Poverty and Wildlife commissioned from Joanna Elliott.

Clare Short: The implications of the findings of the Wildlife and Poverty Study will be discussed in DFID and with DEFRA and FCO. We also hope that it will encourage other government and non-government organisations to prioritise the integration of the needs and voices of the poor into wildlife-related strategies.

Publicity and Advertising

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: Our expenditure on publicity, which forms part of our effort to raise awareness and understanding of international development issues in the UK, has been as follows:
	
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 1995–96 568,755 
			 1996–97 579,916 
			 1996–98 399,755 
			 1998–99 674,531 
			 1999–2000 879,354 
			 2001–01 1,484,281 
			 2001–02 1,286,054 
			 2002–03 (13)1,300,000 
		
	
	(13) Estimated outturn
	We do not hold a separate advertising budget. The majority of advertising relates to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. Expenditure for the last three calendar years was as follows:
	
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 2000 751,972 
			 2001 938,297 
			 2002 1,010,930 
		
	
	Expenditure figures for the preceding years are not available.

Refugees (Iraq)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) Jordan, (b) Syria, (c) Turkey, (d) Iran, (e) Kuwait and (f) Saudi Arabia regarding their policy towards accepting refugees from Iraq.

Clare Short: None.

Sudan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress is being made on education projects in Southern Sudan; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: This financial year we have committed £220,000 to support scholarships programmes in Sudan, particularly for women, and £300,000 to UNICEF for schools rehabilitation and teacher training in the Nuba Mountains. We are also planning a significant intervention in the education sector in government and SPLM/A controlled conflict affected areas.

Western Sahara

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding food security in Western Sahara.

Clare Short: I have not had any specific discussions with Ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on food security in Western Sahara.
	DFID continues to provide support to the Saharawi refugees through its contributions to the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Western Sahel

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much emergency aid her Department is giving to the World Food Programme's Emergency Operation Appeal for the Western Sahel; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We have agreed to provide £1,000,000 for the World Food Programme's Emergency Operation Appeal for the Western Sahel.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many civil servants have been employed by (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, (Mr. Alexander) on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 333W.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Annual Report

Norman Lamb: To ask the President of the Council how much producing the Privy Council Department's latest Annual Report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge.

Robin Cook: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on Wednesday 22 January, Official Report, column 333W.
	As in previous years, my Department's latest Annual Report is published in the same document as the Cabinet Office's.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Congestion Charge

Brian Mawhinney: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will arrange for a payment point to be set up in the precinct of the House to enable hon. Members and others to pay the Congestion Charge.

Archy Kirkwood: Over recent months House officials have sought to make arrangements with Transport for London for a Congestion Charge payment point to be installed at a convenient location in the Palace of Westminster, and they will continue to press TFL for early action.
	Meanwhile, hon. Members may wish to know that there is a payment machine at the entrance to the Abingdon Green car park, and that other methods of payment include:
	Online at www.cclondon.com;
	By telephone on 0845 900 1234;
	By mobile phone text message, having registered online or by telephone;
	At a range of petrol stations and retail outlets;

E-mail

Paul Tyler: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the estimated cost is of the system introduced to block the delivery of e-mails to members containing profanities or other language considered objectionable; what criteria are being used for this editorial system and by whom; how many e-mails have been blocked; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: PCD is using existing software to block inappropriate e-mails and therefore the new system has minimal cost. In the first week the system blocked 908 inappropriate e-mails sent to parliamentary e-mail addresses. The system filters incoming e-mails from non-parliamentary addresses and will not affect internal communications, outgoing e-mails or e-mails received from remote workers attached to the parliamentary data and video network (PDVN) via Citrix. The sender of any e-mail that is blocked will be notified and invited to contact the intended recipient to arrange for the blocked e-mail to be unblocked. This will prevent any genuine e-mail from being lost.
	PCD recognises that on occasions, constituents might use strong language: for example, if they are writing about a constituency issue on which they have firm views, or of which they have had a bad direct experience. Incoming e-mails that contain only a few mild expletives will be unaffected. Only those e-mails which contain a high proportion of the most offensive obscenities are blocked automatically.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Further Education

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the review of Further Education in Northern Ireland will be published; and what plans he has to change the number of Further Education (a) colleges and (b) campuses in Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: A consultation paper oh the role of the statutory FE sector, was published on 5 November 2002. The consultation period closed on 10 January 2003 and responses are being considered. Concurrently, evidence is being gathered on the range of issues covered by the review. The publication date for any conclusions or proposals is not yet known. It is too early, therefore, to comment on any particular matter.

Hub Arts Centre

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Laganside Corporation proposes to offer as its contribution to the overall cost of the Hub Arts Centre.

Des Browne: Plans are not sufficiently developed at this stage to give a precise answer to this question. An economic appraisal is currently being carried out by the Arts Council for Northern Ireland to determine the scale and usage of the proposed building subject to its board approval. Laganside Corporation plans to contribute land upon which to site the Arts Centre and the value of this land will be determined further into the project.

Wind Farms

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to consult (a) the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and (b) the RSPB on future wind farm applications in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: All applications for wind farm developments are considered against prevailing planning policies, taking account of representations received following normal advertising and consultation procedures.
	The main policy guidance in this area is contained in "A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland". This states that all proposals for wind farms will be assessed in respect of their implications for the visual, ecological and historic landscapes; the implications for agriculture; and the safety and amenity of local residents. It also makes it clear that permission will not be granted for wind turbine development in any location where it would have a seriously detrimental impact on the amenity of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or on any area designated for its conservation, scientific, archaeological or historic interest.
	Consultation on wind farm proposals will normally include the Environmental Health Department of the relevant local Council, the Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service, the Department for Regional Development's Roads and Water Services, the Ministry of Defence, and the Civil Aviation Authority.
	In addition, under the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, the Department may require an Environmental Statement where a proposal is located in a 'sensitive area' and/or involves the installation of more than two turbines, or the hub height of any turbine or height of any other structure exceeds 15 metres. This Statement will provide the Department with detailed information about the impact that a proposal may have on the environment.
	It is not normal procedure to consult the Northern Ireland Tourist Board on planning applications that, although in scenic areas, do not have a direct impact on tourism, and thus do not fall within the statutory remit of the Board. It is not, therefore, the practice of the Planning Service to consult the NITB automatically in relation to planning applications for wind farms and there are no plans to introduce such a practice.
	The English Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG 22) 'Renewable Energy' states that, apart from the movement of the blades, the development of a wind farm warrants no different approach in terms of ecological considerations from any other development, and evidence suggests that the risk of collision between moving turbine blades and birds is minimal both for migrating birds and for local habitats.
	Applications for wind farms will sometimes be made in, or close to, areas designated as of ecological importance, and such applications will be rigorously examined under the policies and guidance contained in Planning Policy Statement 2, 'Planning and Nature Conservation'. However, in terms of any potential direct impact of a wind farm proposal on the integrity of sites designated as of wildlife importance, including those designated for the conservation of birds, the Planning Service's main source of advice and guidance will remain the Department's Environment and Heritage Service and there are no plans to introduce a practice of consulting the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on wind farm applications.

Landfill Directive

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what criteria a decision on the implementation of the EC Directive 1999/31 on the landfill of waste will be based.

Angela Smith: The Landfill Directive contains two separate components—targets for reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) going to landfill and the introduction of detailed regulatory requirements in relation to the design, operation and aftercare of sites.
	The decision on how the BMW targets will be achieved in NI will be based on the outcome of a consultation exercise which has just ended. An analysis of responses is underway to determine the preferred option for NI.
	The implementation of the regulatory requirements of the Directive will be based on the detailed prescriptive criteria already contained in the Directive.

Landfill Directive

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated cost is of implementing EC Directive 1999/31 on the landfill of waste in Northern Ireland; how much of this cost will be borne by district councils; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Landfill Directive contains two separate components—targets for reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) going to landfill and the introduction of detailed regulatory requirements in relation to the design, operation and aftercare of sites.
	A consultation paper, published in October 2002, set out four options for achieving the BMW targets. The paper was accompanied by a partial regulatory impact assessment (RIA) which gave indicative costs relating to four options for dealing with the waste which has to be diverted from landfill. The consultation exercise has just ended and an analysis of responses is underway to determine the preferred option for NI. Actual costs will not be known until a full regulatory impact assessment has been undertaken on the preferred option.
	The estimated cost of implementing the regulatory requirements of the Directive will not be known until a RIA has been undertaken. This is planned for later this year.

Landfill Directive

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the locations are of wind farm applications seeking planning approval in Northern Ireland; and what stage the current applications have reached.

Angela Smith: Planning Service is currently dealing with six planning applications for wind farms; these applications and their current status are as follows:
	(i) Planning application J/2001/0291/F for a wind farm for Bin Mountain, in the district of Strabane, in the townlands of Bolaght, Lettercarn, Binnawooda, Drummahon, Castlecraig, Curraghmacall, Ally, Meenabog and Meenacloy, and Drumquin, Co. Tyrone. This application was presented to Strabane district council on 26 February 2002 with a recommendation to refuse. The reasons for refusal were that the proposal would:
	be significantly detrimental to the visual amenity and character of the area;
	have an adverse effect on nature conservation interests;
	have an adverse effect on Lough Lee from construction activity and contamination.
	The application was deferred by the council to allow a site meeting to take place. This meeting took place on 31 May 2002, and as a result the applicant indicated verbally that he will withdraw the application.
	(ii) Planning application K/2001/048/F for a wind farm in the district of Omagh, in the townlands of Lough Hill, Castlecraig, Curraghmacall and Drummahon, Co. Tyrone. The access would be from the Meenacloy Road via an existing forestry road through the townlands of Meenacloy, Meenabog, Ally and Sloughan, and Drumquin, Co. Tyrone. Planning Service is awaiting further consultation responses and the proposal is still under consideration by the Department.
	(iii) Planning application L/2001/1346/F for a wind farm in the district of Fermanagh, in the townlands of Garrane, Mullaghfad, Corraleek and Corragunt, and Rosslea, Co. Fermanagh. Planning Service is awaiting further consultation responses and the proposal is still under consideration by the Department.
	(iv) Planning application L/2001/1514/F for a wind farm in the district of Fermanagh, in the townlands of Callagheen and Garrison, Co. Fermanagh. This proposal was presented to Fermanagh district council on 16 January 2003 with a recommendation to refuse. The reasons for the refusal were that the proposal would:
	be detrimental to the visual amenity and character of the proposed area of outstanding natural beauty;
	have an adverse impact on nature conservation.
	The council deferred the application to allow for an office meeting, the date of which is to be arranged.
	(v) Planning application L/2002/1042/F for a wind farm in the district of Fermanagh, in the townlands of Glenarn, Stranahone and Stranadarriff, Tappaghan Mountain and Lack, Co. Fermanagh. Planning Service is awaiting further consultation responses and the proposal is still under consideration by the Department.
	(vi) Planning application L/2002/1183/F for a wind farm in the district of Fermanagh, in the townlands of Caricknabrattoge, Carrowmaculla, Eshmeen and Tully, and Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh. Planning Service is awaiting further consultation responses and the proposal is still under consideration by the Department.

Planning Policy

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will consult the public on the creation of a new offence of commencing development without the benefit of planning permission.

Angela Smith: The Government do not consider that a sufficient case has yet been made for the creation of a new criminal offence in Northern Ireland of commencing development without planning permission. To enable me to recommend the creation of a new offence, I would need to demonstrate:
	that the impact of unauthorised development upon the planning system is so serious in Northern Ireland as to warrant a departure from policy elsewhere in the UK;
	that there is factual evidence to support this;
	that all the options for addressing the problem have been considered and this is the best option; and,
	that a regulatory impact assessment of the potential options has been made and taken into account in recommending the best option.
	I am not in a position to make such a case without further work, and this needs to be done before a consultation paper can be produced that will generate an informed public debate. I want to think about the issue very carefully, before deciding on the way forward.

Ulster Covenants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Ulster Covenant records will be available online by March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Ulster Covenant records are due to be available online by 28 March 2003.

US-Ireland Alliance

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been provided from Government funds to the US-Ireland Alliance in each of the last three years; whether he has made representations to the US Government about the charitable status of the US-Ireland Alliance; whether a representative of the Unionist community in Northern Ireland sits on the honorary board of the US-Ireland Alliance; and what plans he has to review funding for the US-Ireland Alliance.

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Employment and Learning has committed financial support to the Mitchell Scholarship Programme, which is managed by the US-Ireland Alliance, for the period 2000–05; contributing £22,619 in the financial year 2000–01, £24,717 in 2001–02 and £23,900 in 2002–03. No representations have been made to the US Government on the charitable status of the US-Ireland Alliance. The Department is unaware of any representative membership of the honorary board from the Unionist community in Northern Ireland. The Department plans to review funding for the Mitchell Scholarship Programme in 2005.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

ADSL

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of UK households and businesses are able to receive ADSL telecommunication services in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Scotland.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 23 January 2003
	Oftel statistics for 1 November 2002, available at www.oftel.gov.uk, show that 63 per cent. of UK households and businesses were able to receive ADSL services at that date. Research undertaken by Analysis for the Government shows that at the end of August 2002, 39 per cent. of households in Scotland were able to receive ADSL services. This rises to 53 per cent. of households in Scotland counting ADSL and cable modem together.

Broadband

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what help will be given to rural communities to enable them to access broadband.

Stephen Timms: In November 2002, the Government launched the UK Broadband Task Force, which has the aim of stimulating the take-up and roll-out of broadband across the UK, particularly in rural and remote areas. The Task Force's regional broadband co-ordinators, located in each of the English regions and the Devolved Administrations, will seek to address this issue in their particular regions or nations.
	Also at a regional level, the Government have provided the Regional Development Agencies and the Devolved Administrations with the £30 million UK Broadband Fund, which was set up to help develop innovative schemes to extend broadband roll-out. Projects from this Fund are on-going and being monitored to identify examples of best practice that can be shared around the country.
	In addition, the Government have pledged £1 billion over 2003–06 towards broadband connectivity in the public sector. It is anticipated that this will lead to broadband networks being extended more widely. The aggregation of public sector demand, which is a main focus of the UK Broadband Task Force, will help accelerate this roll-out and ensure its efficiency.

Competitiveness White Paper

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many commitments made by her Department in the 1998 Competitiveness White Paper have been met; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Of the 77 commitments made in the 1998 White Paper, "Our Competitive Future—Building the Knowledge Driven Economy" (Cm 4176), 70 have been fully achieved. The delivery dates of six commitments have not yet been reached.
	Full details of progress against targets can be found in the White Paper Implementation Plan, published on the DTI website at: www.dti.gov.uk/comp/impl.html

Fossil Fuel

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the existing surplus of fossil fuel levy funds in Scotland is.

Brian Wilson: £10.1 million. This is held by the Collector and invested in accordance with the regulations.

Renewable Energy

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what she expects the proceeds to be of the auction of the renewable obligation certificates.

Brian Wilson: Future income from auctions of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) will depend on the output of renewable energy auctioned and the market value of ROCs.
	In England and Wales an auction was held on 12 August and income from the electricity, LECs and ROCs will be paid between October 2002 and March 2003. The auction related to output during this period from 486MW capacity of renewable energy.
	In Scotland, the proceeds of the first auction of ROCs were just under 4.4 million. The second auction has just been held on 16 January at which the average price for ROCs was £47.46 per ROC. A total of 64,337 ROCs were successfully auctioned.

Empty Homes

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many empty homes her Department (a) had five years ago and (b) has now, by region; if she will establish an empty homes strategy within her Department; and if she will set a target for reduction in empty homes.

Patricia Hewitt: The answer, in both cases, is none.

Ethical Banking

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what contracts have been concluded as a result of the Government's commitment to support ethical banking.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government believe it is important for consumers to have choice in financial products, including the availability of 'ethical' products. However, it would not be appropriate for the Government to exclusively support the development of one specific group of financial providers. It is for individual consumers to decide the attributes they most value from their financial services and for financial services firms to be transparent about their use of funds and investments.

Export Control Act

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to introduce secondary legislation under the Export Control Act 2002.

Nigel Griffiths: It is expected that the Act and the secondary legislation to be made under it will enter into force in the second half of 2003, following the appropriate period of consultation.

Fraud

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the operating cost in each year since 1997 was of her Department's (a) ORACLE RAB and (b) anti-fraud control system; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 14 January 2003
	The information is as follows:
	(a) The ORACLE RAB system became operational in December 1998. Operating costs for the system for the financial years in question were as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 0.00 
			 1998–99 1.04 
			 1999–2000 2.12 
			 2000–01 2.53 
			 2001–02 2.62 
		
	
	(b) The Department has anti-fraud control built into all its financial systems, and it is therefore not possible to quantify the overall operating cost.

General Agreement on Trade in Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the General Agreement on Trade in Services upon (a) teaching and research and (b) the knowledge economy.

Nigel Griffiths: We have just completed a public consultation on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and are now analysing the responses received. GATS might only have an impact upon teaching, research and the knowledge economy if we were minded to meet liberalisation requests made to us by our trading partners in relevant areas. The UK negotiates in the WTO as part of the European Community. We have yet to see the Commission's draft proposals on which requests they suggest the EC might meet in the offer to be tabled in the WTO by the end of March 2003. Their proposals will be discussed with the Department for Education and Skills and the Devolved Administrations, as part of our internal assessment process.

Huntingdon Life Sciences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated cost is of providing (a) banking; and (b) insurance facilities to Huntingdon life sciences.

Patricia Hewitt: Huntingdon Life Sciences is reimbursing to the DTI the full cost of facilitating insurance and of the facilitation of banking services. DTI has recognised possible contingent liabilities consequent on the provision of insurance services.

Industrial Action

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) trades unions and (b) individuals have been (i) charged with offences resulting from industrial action and (ii) convicted of offences resulting from industrial action in each year since 1973.

Alan Johnson: Although there have been a number of charges and convictions resulting from offences committed in the course of industrial action, the Government do not collect statistics relating to the circumstances in which offences took place.

Industrial Action

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with (a) representatives of British industry and (b) trades union representatives concerning (i) the number of days lost to industrial disputes over the last 12 months and (ii) the state of the manufacturing industry in the UK.

Alan Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly attend meetings with representatives of British industry and trade unions at which employment relations and manufacturing issues are discussed.

Information Society Initiative Centres

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many ISI centres are open; if she will list their locations; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 7 January 2003
	ISI Centres were established as part of the Information Society Initiative, which was re-branded as UK online for business in 2000. The centres themselves were established to provide independent and impartial advice to SMEs about information and communication technology. When the re-organisation of the Small Business Service and the Business Link Organisation took place, it was agreed that the provision of this ICT advice would be delivered through the Business Link network and the equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many of the ISI advisers were subsumed into the Business Link organisation. There are therefore no ISI centres still in existence.

Innovation Unit

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many industrial secondees there were in the Department's Innovation Unit in each year since 1998; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: During the period 1998–2002, the Innovation Unit had the following number of part-time industrial 'secondees' engaged within the Unit at some point in the year: 1998—33; 1999—29; 2000—28; 2001—29 and 2002—23. The Innovation Unit has now been restructured and its work incorporated across the new Innovation Group within the DTI.

Job Creation

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many grants for job creation her Department awarded in (a) south-east Northumberland and (b) Wansbeck in 2002; and what the value was in each case.

Alan Johnson: The table sets out the numbers, value and associated jobs for grant offered in 2002 under the Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) and Enterprise Grant schemes for Wansbeck and south-east Northumberland (the local authority districts of Blyth Valley, North Tyneside and Wansbeck). From 1 April 2002 responsibility for RSA was transferred to ONE NorthEast, the regional development agency.
	Details of individual RSA grants of over £75,000 are published in "Labour Market Trends" after the first payment of grant has been made.
	
		Regional Selective Assistance and Enterprise Grant 2002
		
			  Wansbeck South-east Northumberland 
		
		
			 Number of offers 2 20 
			 Grant value £177,500 £5,327,460 
			 Associated jobs 40 842

Manufacturing Advisory Service

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much her Department will provide from its Innovation Budget to fund the Manufacturing Advisory Service; how this amount will be spent; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The Department will allocate £14.2 million from its Innovation Budget to fund the Manufacturing advisory Service. This money will be allocated to Regional Development Agencies and the Welsh Development Agency to match fund the Regional Centres for Manufacturing Excellence (RCMEs) that we have established in partnership with them to deliver the Manufacturing Advisory Service in their respective regions and in Wales. Our allocated Innovation Budget funding will also cover the cost of a contract that DTI has awarded to Inbis to establish a National Network of Centres of Expertise in Manufacturing and a website for the MAS. All 10 RCMEs and the national website have been launched and are in operation (the site is at www.dit.gov.uk/manfacturingm/mas).

Manufacturing Advisory Service

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses with (a) five employees or fewer and (b) over five employees have received assistance from the Manufacturing Advisory Service since it was established; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The Department does not collect data from the MAS which allows us to separate or help given companies of more or fewer than five employees. The thrust of the MAS is however, very much on helping what the EU defines as being Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) employing up to 250 employees. In the period to 30th September 2002 the MAS:
	Responded to around 5,000 enquires through its Regional Centres for Manufacturing Excellence
	Undertook some 670 diagnostic and advisory visits to companies
	Included some 4,700 in regional training and other events
	Undertook over 100 in-depth consultancy projects with manufacturers
	Completed 21 Case studies that have been published on the MAS website (at www.dti.gov.iik/manufacturing/mas).
	Initial monitoring data show that achievements within companies included:
	Average people productivity improvement of 28 per cent.
	Average scrap or wastage reduction of 35 per cent.
	Average on time delivery improvement of over 40 per cent.
	Average improvement in stock turnover of some 90 per cent.
	Average value added to each SME client company is just over £50,000.

Miners Compensation

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims have been lodged to date under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme for (a) COPD and (b) vibration white finger; and what percentage of those claims have (i) been settled in full and (ii) received an interim payment but not full settlement in the parliamentary constituencies of (A) Leigh, (B) Makerfield, (C) Wigan, (D) St. Helens North, (E) St. Helens South, (F) Warrington North, (G) Warrington South, (H) Bolton North East, (I) Bolton North West, (J) Bolton West, (K) Salford, (L) Worsley, (M) Eccles, (N) Knowsley North and (O) Knowsley South.

Brian Wilson: The Department's claim handlers, IRISC, are unable to provide details of how many individuals have received interim payments, as some claimants have received more than one interim payment.
	The figures for claims received and percentage of claims settled is:
	
		
			  COPD VWF  
			 Constituency Claims registered Percentage settled Claims registered Percentage settled  
		
		
			 Leigh 1,781 25 685 30 
			 Makerfield 1,284 20 622 33 
			 Wigan 1,032 22 350 32 
			 St. Helens North 878 21 496 34 
			 St. Helens South 922 23 503 36 
			 Warrington North 85 27 59 25 
			 Warrington South 22 5 17 6 
			 Bolton North East 124 27 30 30 
			 Bolton South East(14) 336 31 86 42 
			 Bolton West 222 36 74 41 
			 Salford 27 22 14 50 
			 Worsley 816 23 255 38 
			 Eccles 143 30 30 47 
			 Knowsley North 25 32 14 36 
			 Knowsley South 193 24 110 29 
		
	
	(14) The figures have been given for Bolton South East. Bolton North West is not a constituency.
	A full breakdown of constituency statistics is available on the DTI website: www. dti.gov.uk/coalhealth

National Minimum Wage (Shropshire)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire have benefited from the national minimum wage in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 27 January 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of workers in the Shrewsbury and Atcham parliamentary constituency and in Shropshire who have benefited from the national minimum wage (NMW) in each year since 1997. (93076)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates estimates of the number of jobs paid less than NMW rates for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions. These are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/themes/labour_market/pay_and_earnings/measuring_low_pay.asp
	Estimates for Parliamentary Constituencies and counties are not available.

Ofgem Board

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people were interviewed for each position on the Ofgem Board.

Brian Wilson: The numbers interviewed for a single non-executive post vary according to the field. Tyupically, three to five candidates are interviewed.

Ofgem Board

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out the process for appointing members of the Ofgem Board.

Brian Wilson: The process followed for the chair and for non-executive members is as for other public appointments, with guidance from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The process involves advertisement and search; interviews by panels including independent members; and recommendations to Ministers, who take the final decision, from the shortlist presented. Other executive members are appointed on an ex-officio basis.

Ofgem Board

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money Ofgem has spent on (a) political advisers, (b) attendance at party conferences and (c) corporate hospitality in each year since it was established.

Patricia Hewitt: These are matters for the Gas and Electricity markets Authority. The Chairman of the Authority will write to the hon. Member, and I have asked for a copy to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Ofgem Board

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria she uses to assess the performance and salary of each member of the Ofgem Board.

Brian Wilson: Executive members of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority do not receive any additional remuneration for their role as members. Their pay and conditions as executives are matters for the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. Non-executive members are not eligible for performance-related pay, but their performance is assessed as required by the guidelines for public appointments before re-appointment.

Ofgem Board

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the recruitment consultants used by her Department advised on the appointment of members of the Ofgem Board.

Brian Wilson: A number of firms of recruitment consultants were retained by the Department under call-off contacts, one of which assisted with the process of appointment of the combined post of Director General of Gas supply and Director General of Electricity Supply (and Chairman-designate of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority).

Post Office

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will discuss with the management of the Post Office its (a) complaints handling arrangements, (b) response times and (c) response to complaints concerning the Royal Mail from honourable Members; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: These are matters which fall within the day to day responsibility of Royal Mail. If the hon. Member has specific points to raise in relation to these matters, I will be glad to take them up with the Chairman.

Post Office Card Accounts

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many subpostmasters have completed the training necessary for the operation of post office card accounts.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 23 January 2003
	This is a matter which falls within the day-to-day responsibility of Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office Raids

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what representations she has received concerning security for local post offices against armed hold-ups in rural sub-post offices; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations she has received from sub-post office masters about recent raids on local post offices in North Yorkshire.

Stephen Timms: There have been no representations. Security arrangements at all post offices are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. in conjunction with sub-postmasters.

Post Offices (Shropshire)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial support is available to rural post offices in Shrewsbury and Atcham.

Stephen Timms: Rural post offices across the UK will benefit from the £450 million package of financial support for the rural post office network that I announced on 2 December 2002.
	The package is underpinned by the appointment of rural transfer advisers by POL and a £2 million fund to support community post office initiatives.
	The rural network also benefits from investment in the network generally. The rural network benefits from the considerable investment in the network's IT, and in new products, including universal banking services. On automation alone, the Government have made the largest ever investment in the Post Office—£480 million--much of it on the rural network.

Post Offices (Shropshire)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) urban and (b) rural post offices closed in (i) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (ii) Shropshire in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: I am informed by Post Office Ltd. that current and historic data on the post office network is not held on a parliamentary constituency or county basis.

Power Cuts

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with energy regulators to ensure energy companies receive lists of vulnerable people who are a priority for reconnection in the event of a power cut.

Brian Wilson: Ministers and officials meet the Energy Regulator regularly and discuss a wide range of issues.
	The licence for Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) require them to maintain a register of customers who have special communication needs or depend on electricity for medical reasons, and who require advance notice of planned interruptions to supply. This ensures that the DNOs are aware of vulnerable customers, and can prioritise accordingly. The DNOs are also required to give advice via a code of practice (provision of services for persons who are of pensionable age or disabled or chronically sick).

Press Releases

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many press releases have been issued by her Department in each (a) year and (b) quarter from 1995–96 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The number of DTI press releases issued since April 1995 were as follows:
	
		
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total 
		
		
			 1995 Not available 195 224 246 665 
			 1996 265 231 224 245 965 
			 1997 287 142 194 252 875 
			 1998 212 217 194 272 895 
			 1999 232 258 180 239 909 
			 2000 213 200 181 191 785 
			 2001 175 109 160 185 629 
			 2002 184 193 177 217 771 
		
	
	These quarterly statistics include a number of statutory type announcements (merger clearance, power station consents and company winding up petitions) that the Department is required to issue when individual decisions are made.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the Regulatory Impact Assessments produced by her Department since 1 May 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 16 January 2003
	Regulatory Impact Assessments were first introduced in August 1998. The Cabinet Office, in a bi-annual Command Paper, publishes lists of all Departments' Regulatory Impact Assessments, and their predecessors, Compliance Cost Assessments. Copies of the Command papers are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Regulatory Impact Assessments published by my Department since July 2002, for which a Command Paper is yet to be published, are as follows:
	The Offshore Installations (Emergency Pollution Control) Regulations 2002
	The National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 (Amendment) Regulations 2002
	Wireless Telegraphy (Licences charges) Regulations 2002
	The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002
	The Directors' Remuneration Report Regulations 2002
	The Maternity and Parental Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2002
	The Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002
	The Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (Weekly Rates) Regulations 2002
	The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002
	Industrial Development (Financial Assistance) Bill
	The Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002
	The Community designs (Fees) Regulations 2002
	Communications Bill
	Communications Bill—Media Ownership Rules
	Communications Bill—TV and Radio Services
	Communications Bill—Spectrum Trading
	Communications Bill—Newspaper Mergers
	Communications Bill—Setting up OFCOM as a Single Regulator
	Enterprise Act
	Enterprise Act—Competition Reform
	Enterprise Act—Consumer Protection
	Enterprise Act—Insolvency Provisions
	EC Directive 1999/44/EC on certain aspects of the sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees
	The Electricity (Approval of Pattern or Construction and Installation and Certification) (Amendment) Regulations 2002
	The Measuring Instruments (EC Requirements) (Electrical Energy Meters) (Amendment) Regulations 2002
	The Gas (Calculation of Thermal Energy (Amendment) Regulations 2002
	Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2002
	Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2002

Rural Transfer Advisers

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what plans she has to review the effectiveness of the Rural Transfer Advisers referred to in the report by the Scottish National Rural Partnership of November 2002, Section B.13 of Implementing Services in Rural Scotland;
	(2)  where the six Rural Transfer Advisers referred to in the report by the Scottish National Rural Partnership of November 2002, Section B.13 of Implementing Services in Rural Scotland, are; and what progress they have made in preserving rural post offices.

Stephen Timms: The employment and effectiveness of Rural Transfer Advisers are operational matters for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Scottish Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which post offices in Scotland referred to in the report by the Scottish National Rural Partnership of November 2002, Section B.13 of Implementing Services in Rural Scotland, received funding from the Sub Post Office Start Up Capital Subsidy Funding; how much each has received; and what proportion this represented of the successful applications from throughout the UK.

Stephen Timms: I understand from Post Office Ltd. who operate the Sub Post Office Start Up Capital Subsidy Fund on behalf of the Department that 13 applications from Scotland had been approved, out of a total of 133 approved for the UK, as at end December 2002. As at that date, the amounts approved and paid in respect of applications from Scotland were as follows:
	
		£ 
		
			  Approved Paid 
		
		
			 Achnasheen 20,000 289 
			 Almondbank 17,750 17,750 
			 Arnisdale 1,810 1,657 
			 Bernisdale 11,131 8,880 
			 Bowden 5,000 2,184 
			 Drinishader 4,550 — 
			 East Mains of Carseburn 315 315 
			 Glenboig 17,500 17,500 
			 Glencoe 10,307 10,307 
			 Laxay 2,213 1,664 
			 Ollaberry 3,411 3,411 
			 Strathkinness 17,963 — 
			 Struan 3,898 3,898

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many days were lost due to sickness absence in the Department in 2002.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 20 January, Official Report, column 12W.

Sizewell

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  which organisations were responsible for security at Sizewell B at 6.00 am on 13 January 2003; and what their responsibilities are;
	(2)  pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) of 20th January 2003, Official Report, column 9, what lessons were learnt from the Greenpeace UK incursion to Sizewell B in October 2002; and what actions were taken as a result of those lessons;
	(3)  pursuant to her oral statement of 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 547, on the Sizewell security breach, when the Government's preliminary conclusion from the inquiry will be acted upon.

Brian Wilson: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulator, is reviewing security following the incursion into Sizewell B nuclear power station on 13 January by demonstrators organised by Greenpeace. Some security enhancements have already been identified and any others arising during the review will be implemented as soon as practicable. An earlier review was conducted following the incursion in October 2002 and action taken.
	Responsibility for security at the Sizewell B nuclear power station lies with British Energy, the site licensee. Site management comply with the company's security plan in respect of the site as required by the Nuclear Generating Stations (Security) Regulations 1996 (SI 1996 No. 665). OCNS, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, advises site management about security threats, specifies the security standards to be followed, approves the security plan and monitors compliance. OCNS had already required the station to implement several additional measures in response to the heightened terrorist threat.

Space Industry Club

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the British National Space Centre's Best Practice in the Space Industry Club is self financing; how many United Kingdom companies are committed to the Club; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Space Industry Best Practice Club is working towards achieving self-sufficiency. Including associates, it now has 60 members.
	I welcome the activities of the Club. It was set up under a joint commitment by the British National Space Centre and the United Kingdom Industrial Space Committee, and was launched by my hon. Friend the Minister for Science in 1999. Since then, it has worked hard to improve the competitiveness of British companies working in the space sector and has developed relationships with other sectors and within the European Space Agency.

Transco

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many British Gas employees were qualified to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure in 1994.

Nick Brown: I have been asked to reply.
	I am advised by the Health and Safety Executive that this information is not available.

Transco

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Transco employees are qualified to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure.

Nick Brown: I have been asked to reply.
	I have been advised by the Health and Safety Executive that on 16 January 2003, Transco's statutory registration by the Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) covered work by 2,707 emergency service operatives holding valid certificates of competence under one of the three recognised assessment schemes: the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) scheme; the Nationally Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS); and the aligned National Vocational Qualification.
	Transco is also able to contract other CORGI-registered installers if additional resource is considered necessary due to the scale of the failure.

Transco

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what tests her Department has conducted to establish the capacity of Transco to respond to a major gas supply failure without requiring the closure of power stations.

Nick Brown: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has carried out no such tests. However, I am advised by the Health and Safety Executive that Transco, in its capacity as the national Network Emergency Co-ordinator, has duties to test its arrangements for responding to a major gas supply failure and minimising its effects. Arrangements are also in place for activating a Government/industry Joint Response Team to co-ordinate action should a major supply failure occur, and these arrangements are periodically tested by means of joint exercises.

Transco

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what capacity Transco (a) is required by regulation to maintain and (b) has to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure.

Nick Brown: I have been asked to reply.
	The Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) require Transco as a gas conveyor to prepare a safety case which (a) demonstrates how it will minimise the risk of a gas supply emergency; and (b) gives particulars of the procedures it has established to restore safely the gas supply to consumers, should a supply failure occur.

Transco

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what contracts are in place between Transco and other companies to supply suitably qualified engineers to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure.

Nick Brown: I have been asked to reply.
	This commercial information is not available. The requirement of Schedule 1 of paragraph 21 of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) is for Transco as a gas conveyor to describe the particulars of the procedures that it has established to restore safely the gas supply to consumers following an interruption of supply.

Westport Private Equity Limited

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what independent audits have taken place of Westport Private Equity Ltd.; whether these audits are available to Members; and if she will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Westport Private Equity Ltd. has filed audited annual accounts at Companies House on a regular basis. The audited accounts for the year ended 31 December 2001 were filed on 15 May 2002. The accounts are available for public inspection.

TREASURY

Employment Statistics

Eric Forth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed in (a) central Government, (b) local and regional government, (c) agencies of government, (d) the services sector and (e) manufacturing in (i) June 1997 and (ii) December 2002.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from L. Cook to Mr. Eric Forth, dated 27 January 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about how many people were employed in (a) central government, (b) local and regional government (c) agencies of government, (d) services sector and (e) manufacturing in (i) June 1997 and (ii) December 2002. (92673)
	The latest information is given below. The Office for National Statistics does not use the term 'agencies of government', so, for completeness, total public sector employment is shown:
	
		Workforce Jobs by Sector -- thousands
		
			  June 1997 June 2001 September 2002 
		
		
			 Central government 870 874 not available 
			 Local authorities 2,593 2,732 not available 
			 Public non-financial corporations 1,491 1,557 not available 
			 Total public sector 4,954 5,163 not available 
			 Total services (seasonally adjusted) 21,152 22,922 23,158 
			 Manufacturing (seasonally adjusted) 4,493 4,054 3,835 
		
	
	Source:
	Economic Trends, June 2002 issue, ONS
	Labour Market Trends Table B.I8, ONS
	Estimates of workforce jobs are based on the results of regular sample surveys of employers which count the number of employee jobs. Full information on public sector employment is published once a year; data for 2002 will be published in an article in Economic Trends in June 2003.
	The Cabinet Office publication 'Civil Service Statistics 2001' shows civil servants in main departments and Next Step agencies separately and a separate Cabinet Office publication, 'Public Bodies 2001' gives details of employment in Non-Departmental Public Bodies. Both these publications are available from the House of Commons Library.

Advertising Campaigns

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will place in the Library evaluation reports on advertising campaigns conducted in each of the last five financial years by (a) National Savings and (b) the Office for National Statistics.

Ruth Kelly: The information is as follows:
	National Savings and Investments
	Every advertising campaign run by National Savings and Investments is monitored and evaluated.
	Methods of evaluation:
	Calls/sales evaluation
	All press advertisements are media coded. Calls generated through advertising are monitored, and associated sales are monitored and evaluated in terms of return on investment to ensure the cost effectiveness of campaigns.
	Brand awareness and perception of the brand
	A continuous tracking study measures awareness of the brand and advertising campaigns and associated changes in the perception of the brand and consideration to save with us.
	Independent auditing
	All advertising spend is audited quarterly by independent auditors to ensure value for money is achieved in buying press space and TV airtime.
	As regards to placing the evaluation reports in the Library, much of the information contained in these reports is commercially sensitive. We operate in a commercial marketplace to ensure value for money is achieved in buying press space and TV airtime. Making public the information on our advertising effectiveness would allow media owners the competitive advantage in negotiations and so jeopardise our ability to secure favourable terms for advertising in the future.
	Office for National Statistics
	The Office for National Statistics advertising expenditure for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 was £3,000 and used to promote the availability of statistics.
	Expenditure on advertising in 2000–01 and 2001–02 was £1,272,000 and £1,770,000 respectively. The spend in these two years covered the campaign to raise awareness of the 2001 Census. It aimed to encourage the population of England and Wales to take part.
	Evaluation was by results. These demonstrated that 98 per cent. of households completed and returned their Census form.
	A review of the Census publicity campaign has been published on the National Statistics website. The web address for the report is www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/proj_pub.asp.
	No advertising expenditure was incurred by ONS in 2002–03.

Affordable Housing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he has received about the likely impact of the introduction of tax-transparent property investment trusts on the supply of affordable housing in the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are aware of the arguments for and against the introduction of tax transparent property investment vehicles, including those submitted by the property industry itself. Proposals on tax are a matter for consideration by the Chancellor in the Budget.

Capital Modernisation Fund

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amounts of the capital modernisation fund allocated for financial years (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: As shown in table B15 of the pre-Budget report 2002, the allocations to the capital modernisation fund are £1.2 billion, £0.9 billion and £1 billion in 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 respectively.
	Of the £1.2 billion in 2003–04, £0.8 billion has already been allocated to Departments.
	Details of all capital modernisation fund projects announced to date are available on the Treasury website (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk).

CAT Standard

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the introduction of a common recognisable logo for products which meet the CAT standard.

Ruth Kelly: The Government decided that setting appropriate standards would be the best way to establish a range of straightforward financial products that are simple, clear and fair.
	These standards have had a positive influence in the market on behalf of consumers.

Cigarettes

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 748W, on cigarettes, what assumptions he made regarding affordability and profitability of trips; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The profitability and affordability of trips depend on several factors, including the price of tobacco products, the cost of passage to other EU member states and the level of disposable income available to different shoppers. Variations in cost between routes and products, in shoppers' income and in their understanding of existing unlimited shopping rights, prevent explicit or quantifiable relationships being derived about the likely response—in terms of the number of shoppers, the frequency of their trips and the scale of their purchases—to changes in indicative levels for tobacco. The assumptions used to inform the estimates of the revenue impact of the new indicative levels reflect Customs' best judgment on the basis of the available evidence.

Cigarettes

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 748W, on cigarettes, what proportion of travellers who previously purchased at the indicative level were expected to increase their purchases to the new indicative level; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: As I stated in my answer of 16 January 2003, HM Customs and Excise's survey data of cross-channel travellers shows that the majority of travellers make no purchases of cigarettes and that, of those who do make purchases, two-thirds purchase below the previous indicative level of 800 cigarettes, and that a further 15 per cent. purchase above. The recent change to the levels can be expected to have little effect on the shopping patterns of these travellers.
	The assumptions for the public finance forecasts relate to the impact on behaviour of those travellers purchasing at the previous indicative levels for tobacco. For this group of travellers it was assumed that:
	those who are purchasing with intent to resell illegally in the UK would increase their purchases to the new indicative level; and
	the remainder would increase their purchases to an average level of 1,600, equivalent to a three-month supply for an average smoker.

Company Accounts

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to issue a report on the new approach to investigations of company accounts.

Dawn Primarolo: In consultation with representative bodies, the Inland Revenue has recently extended the framework developed for inquiries into Income Tax Self Assessment returns to cover Corporation Tax Self Assessment inquiries. The framework does not involve any new powers and does not affect taxpayers' rights. Rather, it is designed to enhance co-operation in inquiries between the Inland Revenue and tax practitioners. Details of the framework, as it extends to Corporation Tax, will be published in a 'Working Together' newsletter in February or early March 2003. The Working Together Group is a partnership between the Inland Revenue and those bodies who represent tax practitioners. There are no plans to issue a separate report.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in each of the last five years, broken down by each category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Ruth Kelly: The information is as follows.
	
		HM Treasury
		
			  Cases of potential misuse investigated Disciplinary action 
		
		
			 1998 Nil Nil 
			 1999 1 1 
			 2000 3 3 
			 2001 1 1 
			 2002 1 1 
		
	
	The Treasury has about 1,200 employees all of whom have access to the Departmental office IT system.
	
		Inland Revenue
		
			  Cases of potential misuse investigated Disciplinary action 
		
		
			 1998 61 56 
			 1999 239 166 
			 2000 300 233 
			 2001 226 188 
			 2002 211 205 
		
	
	The Inland Revenue has over 70,000 employees the vast majority of whom have access to customer records to carry out their duties.
	The Department's records of these cases are not broken down by category of misuse.
	
		HM Customs and Excise
		
			  Cases of potential misuse investigated Disciplinary action 
		
		
			 1998 2 0 
			 1999 1 0 
			 2000 11 11 
			 2001 37 18 
			 2002 101 42 
		
	
	The cases of potential misuse break down as follows:
	
		
			  IT systems Database access E-mail Internet Total 
		
		
			 1998 — 1 — 1 2 
			 1999 — — 1 — 1 
			 2000 6 1 4 — 11 
			 2001 10 5 21 1 37 
			 2002 6 4 83 8 101 
		
	
	HM Customs and Excise employs over 20,000 people. The majority of staff have access to internal e-mail and external Internet services. A limited number of staff have access to databases that contain information regarding the business activities of registered traders. This access is required to enable staff to undertake their duties.

Congestion Charge

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether payments made by public sector employers to employees working within the Central London congestion charging zone by way of reimbursement of congestion charges incurred on travel to their place of work will be treated as taxable emoluments, subject to (a) tax and NI payments by the recipient employee and (b) employers' NI contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: Yes, in the same way as other payments made by employers to employees for travel costs to their normal place of work.

Corporate Profitability

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the levels of UK corporate profitability were in each year since 1996.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Howard Flight, dated 27 January 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on levels of UK corporate profitability in each year since 1996.
	Information on profits and rates of return for private sector non-financial companies is available in the "Profitability of UK Companies" First Release which is published by the Office for National Statistics and is available from the House of Commons Library. It is also available from the National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk.
	Tables 1 to 7 give data back to 1989 or earlier. The latest currently available data cover the 3rd quarter of 2002. Data for the whole of 2002 will be published on 2nd April 2003.
	The ONS does not produce estimates of rates of return for financial companies, but estimates of profits for this period are in table A3 of "United Kingdom National Accounts" which is also available from the National Statistics website.

Departmental Staff

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the total excess working hours worked by staff in his Department in each year from 1997–98; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Information before January 1999 is not available. Information from January 1999 is available in the Library of the House and was referred to in the answer I gave on 25 February 2002 to the hon. member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) Official Report, columns 1045–46W.

ECOFIN

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the outcome was of the ECOFIN Council held on 21 January; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I attended the ECOFIN meeting on 21 January.
	The Presidency and the Commission introduced their work programmes for ECOFIN. The principal objective would be to maintain a stable macroeconomic environment and boost confidence and growth through a renewed commitment to structural reforms.
	The council reached political agreement on the tax package, based on proposals outlined by the presidency at the 3 December 2002 ECOFIN meeting, and discussed at the 11 December 2002 ECOFIN meeting.
	The council confirmed the agreement at the Feira European Council that the objective of the EU should be exchange of information on as wide a basis as possible. And it confirmed the rejection at Feira of an EU-wide withholding tax, which would have had severe implications for the London bond market.
	Political agreement was reached that 12 member states will move to automatic exchange of information on the savings income of EU residents. Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg will move to automatic exchange of information by the end of the first full fiscal year from the date when the council agrees by unanimity that the third countries named at Feira have committed to the OECD standard of exchange of information on request.
	Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg will operate a transitional withholding tax of 15 per cent. from 1 January 2004, 20 per cent. from 1 January 2007, and 35 per cent. from 1 January 2010. The council agreed that the EC should enter into an agreement with Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and San Marino to adopt the same rates of withholding and maintain the 35 per cent. after adoption of exchange of information to the OECD standard.
	The council assessed that in respect of dependent and associated territories the necessary reassurances had been received that the same measures would be applied as in EU member states, and that in respect of the United States the necessary reassurances had been received that equivalent measures would be applied.
	The council committed itself to formal adoption of the tax package before the European Council in March 2003. This is dependent upon receiving firm offers from Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, San Marino and Monaco to enter into agreements as outlined, and on the council assessing the work of the Code of Conduct Group on the rollback of the identified harmful business tax measures of member states and of dependent and associated territories.
	In furtherance of the ultimate objective of exchange of information on as wide a basis as possible, the council asked the commission to continue negotiations with Switzerland and the other third countries for the exchange of information and to report back to the council before 2007, and to enter into discussions with other important financial centres.
	On the Stability and Growth Pact, the council adopted Opinions on the Stability and Convergence programmes of Sweden, Finland, Greece, Italy, Germany and France. The council adopted a Recommendation on an Excessive Deficit Procedure for Germany. It also adopted a Recommendation on an Early Warning for France, with France abstaining.
	In view of the lengthy discussion on the tax package, the presidency decided to postpone discussion of energy taxation and VAT administrative co-operation to the 18 February ECOFIN.
	No formal votes were taken at this meeting.

Employment Distribution

Jim Cousins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the distribution of employment in finance and insurance was in each Government office region and nation of the United Kingdom in (a) 1996, (b) 2000 and (c) the most recent available period.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Jim Cousins, dated 27 January 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question (158) about the distribution of employment in finance and insurance in each Government Office Region and nation of the United Kingdom in (a) 1996, (b)2000 and (c) the most recent available period. (89905).
	The attached table shows the number of employee jobs in financial intermediation by Government Office Region for 1996, 2000 and 2002. The latest earlier years also relate to September. figures are for September 2002, and, for improved comparability, the figures for earlier years also relate to September.

Equitable Life

John Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who has assumed the (a) responsibilities and (b) potential liabilities of the regulatory bodies previously charged with regulating the affairs of the Equitable Life Assurance Society.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury was responsible for the prudential supervision of insurers between 5 January 1998 (prior to this responsibility rested with the Department of Trade and Industry) and 30 November 2001. Between 5 January 1998 and 31 December 1998 the Treasury undertook this task directly. From 1 January 1999 the Treasury contracted out most of its functions relating to prudential insurance supervision to the FSA. The FSA became responsible for prudential insurance supervision in its own right from midnight on 30 November 2001 when the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) came into force.
	Under the provisions of Part II of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, the Treasury remains responsible for the actions carried out by the FSA on behalf of the Treasury during the period of contracting out. Under the Transfer of Functions (Insurance) Order 1997 (S11997/2781) the Treasury became responsible for all the liabilities of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in connection with the functions which were transferred to the Treasury.
	Under the Financial Services Act 1986, conduct of business regulation was the responsibility of the Personal Investment Authority (PIA), a self-regulating organisation recognised by the FSA. Between 1 June 1998 and 30 November 2001, FSA staff carried out work on behalf of the PIA Board, under contract, in preparation for the implementation of FSMA when conduct of business regulation also became the responsibility of the FSA.
	Under transitional provisions made under FSMA, the FSA assumed the liabilities of the PIA and other Self Regulatory Organisations when the Act came into force.

Euro

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he proposes, within the assessment of the five economic tests, to verify whether present and planned levels of public expenditure could be maintained if the UK were to join the Euro.

Ruth Kelly: A comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the Five Economic Tests will be completed within two years of the start of this Parliament.
	The Government remains fully committed to its plans for public spending. These plans provide a much needed boost to public investment in key public services including schools, hospitals and transport, redressing years of under-investment, while maintaining economic stability.

Euro

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment was made by HM Treasury of the economic consequences of joining the euro in the first wave; and if he will publish it.

Ruth Kelly: "UK Membership of the Single Currency: An Assessment of the Five Economic Tests" was published by HM Treasury in October 1997. A copy can be found in the Library, and is also available on the HM Treasury website.

Euro Pamphlets

Adrian Flook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses were sent the pamphlets, "Do you trade with business or individuals from the euro area?" and "Do you know whether the euro's introduction in the euro area could affect your cashflow and profits"; how many have responded to date; and what the cost was of this exercise.

Llew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, of 15 January, Official Report 307–88WH, what the cost was of the printing and distribution of the factsheets and business case studies on the euro.

Ruth Kelly: Details of HM Treasury expenditure on business euro preparations were included in the 'Sixth Report on Euro Preparations', published on 18 July 2002. Copies of the report were deposited in the Library of the House.
	In Autumn 2002, over 1.4 million businesses were sent a mailer containing the 'Dealing with the euro' leaflet. 11,600 requests for additional information on how to deal with the euro as a foreign currency have been received to date and 34,600 copies of material relating to the euro as a foreign currency sent to UK businesses. The cost of this mailing was met from within departmental resources.

Exchange Rates

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of exchange rates on small businesses in (a) 1992, (b) 1997 and (c) 2002.

John Healey: The effects of exchange rate changes are difficult to isolate with any confidence, but the Government recognise the difficulties that the recent weakness of the euro has caused for exporters, including many small businesses.
	The Government seek a stable and competitive pound over the medium-term, and the best contribution it can make is to deliver low, stable inflation and sound public finances. Previous experience shows that any short-term attempt to manipulate the exchange rate can lead to wider economic instability, with damaging consequences for small businesses.

Financial Advisers

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will relax the requirement on small independent financial advisers with a good claims record to obtain professional indemnity insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (the FSA). The requirement for independent financial adviser firms to have professional indemnity insurance is contained in their rules.
	The FSA is aware of the difficulties facing such firms and will be publishing a consultation document shortly.

Fraud and Theft

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002.

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been lost by his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies through (a) fraud and (b) theft for each year since 1996–97.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Members to my answer of 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 651W. On the basis set out there, the Treasury's losses to theft and fraud in 2001–02 were £1,000.

Fuel Poverty

Estelle Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of fuel duty on low-income families in rural areas.

John Healey: We have made no specific assessment of the effects of fuel duty on low-income families in rural areas. As with all families, they will have benefited from the effective duty reduction on ultra low sulphur petrol and diesel in Budget 2001, and the duty freeze on other oils in that Budget, and on all oils in Budget 2002.

Health and Safety Strategy

Helen Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what information he has collated on the application to his Department and its agencies of the checklist, circulated by letter by Sir Richard Mottram, referred to under Action Point 12 of the Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy Statement; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which senior officials within his Department and its agencies take responsibility for health and safety at board or equivalent level; and where their names are publicised;
	(3)  whether his Department and its agencies have met the commitment arising from Action Point 13 of the June 2000 strategy statement on Revitalising Health and Safety to summarise health and safety performance and plans in Annual Reports from the year 2000–01 onwards.

Ruth Kelly: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to her by the Minister of State, Department of Work and Pensions on 20 January, Official Report, columns 85–86W.
	In addition, my Department and agencies are fully committed to supporting the aims of the "Revitalising Strategy" and to continuous improvement in all areas within the checklist circulated by Sir Richard Mottram and the good practice guide issued by the High Level Forum.
	The Treasury and Office of Government Commerce (OGC) summarise health and safety performance within their departmental Annual Reports. The Debt Management Office and the Royal Mint plan to do so in their departmental reports for 2002–03.
	At departmental board level within the Treasury and its agencies the following board members have been given responsibility for health and safety:
	HM Treasury—Managing Director Corporate Services and Development;
	Office of Government Commerce—Chief Executive;
	The Royal Mint—Director of Human Resources and Corporate Affairs;
	The Debt Management Office—Chief Executive.
	These details are published in our Health and Safety Policy Statements and made available on our intranet sites.

HM Treasury

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his estimate is of total public spending on HM Treasury in (a) current and (b) capital terms in each year from 1990–91 to 2003–04 (planned), in 2001–02 prices; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his estimate is of total staff numbers within HM Treasury for each year from 1990–91 to 2004–05 (planned); and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to expenditure figures in the Treasury's annual reports (of which the most recent is Cm 5425). GDP deflators are available in the 'Economic Data and Tools' section of the Treasury website: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk Details on staff numbers are published in "Civil Service Statistics", copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.

HM Treasury Staff

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Treasury staff are based at Great George Street in London; and what floor space of office accommodation they are occupying.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury moved to 1 Horse Guards Road in July 2002, where all staff are now based. The Department occupies 22,223 square metres of net usable area. Details on staff numbers are published in Civil Service Statistics copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.

Immigration

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net non EU foreign immigration to the UK was, including the dependants of asylum seekers, in each year from 1992 to 2001 (a) before the recent adjustments to take account of the census results and (b) after these adjustments had been made.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from L. Cook to Mr. N. Soames, dated 27 January 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question on the net immigration of non-EU nationals to the UK from 1992 to 2001. (93370)
	The information requested is provided in the attached table which shows the net migration estimates for non-EU nationals for 1992 to 2001. Two different estimates are shown in the table: (i) interim revised net migration estimates for non-EU nationals for 1992 to 2001 that take preliminary account of the 2001 Census results, and (ii) the original series of net migration estimates for non-EU nationals compiled prior to the results of the 2001 Census becoming available; it should be noted that the latter series has now been withdrawn.
	The estimates shown in the table take account of dependants of asylum seekers. The Office for National Statistics are working closely with the Home Office to ensure that the best use is made of the recently available detailed Home Office information on dependants of asylum seekers in preparation of the revised international migration series which will be published in late Spring 2003. These revised estimates will be based upon more detailed information from the 2001 Census and further research work and will supercede the interim series included in the attached table.
	
		Net migration to the UK of non-EU(15) nationals -- Thousands
		
			 Year Interim revised series(16) Original series(17) 
		
		
			 1992 +31.2 + 68.9 
			 1993 + 36.5 + 72.5 
			 1994 + 58.7 + 95.7 
			 1995 + 77.0 + 116.7 
			 1996 + 69.0 + 105.4 
			 1997 + 70.4 + 110.8 
			 1998 + 105.6 + 150.6 
			 1999 + 132.3 + 182.5 
			 2000 + 165.0 + 222.3 
			 2001 + 178.1  
		
	
	(15) Figures for all years show EU as it was constituted on 1 January 1995.
	(16) These estimates represent interim revised migration estimates, adjusted in light of first results of the 2001 Census. Further revisions to the series, in the light of more detailed 2001 Census data, will be made available in late Spring 2003. This table includes adjustments for asylum seekers, and for persons admitted as short-term visitors who are subsequently granted an extension of stay for other reasons—for example, as students or on the basis of marriage.
	(17) These are the original published estimates for 1992–2000 compiled prior to the results of the 2001 Census being available. This series has now been withdrawn and superceded by the interim revised estimates released on 28 November 2002 and shown in the first column.

Income Tax Evasion

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers have been prosecuted for fraudulently evading income tax in each year since 1997–98; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: A new offence of fraudulently evading Income Tax, which can be tried in a magistrate's court or in a crown court, was introduced in Finance Act 2000 in response to the recommendations of Lord Grabiner's report "The Informal Economy (March 2000). The legislation applies to offences committed from 1 January 2001. No prosecutions have as yet been completed using the new legislation.

Industrial Action

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days were lost to industrial action in the UK in each month since January 1991 up to the most recent date for which information is available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from L. Cook to Mr. Howard Flight, dated 27 January 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the days lost to industrial action in the UK in each month since January 1991 up to the most recent date. (92766)
	The table below shows the number of working days lost in each month from January 1991 to November 2002.
	
		Number of Working Days lost in the United Kingdom 1991–2002 (000s)
		
			  1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 
		
		
			 Jan 44 56 49 2 24 51 
			 Feb 36 24 71 4 18 36 
			 Mar 55 35 74 8 28 15 
			 Apr 105 24 154 15 34 13 
			 May 105 28 30 33 51 8 
			 Jun 53 33 15 70 16 241 
			 Jul 57 37 50 32 32 149 
			 Aug 64 54 19 39 19 442 
			 Sep 78 70 8 20 25 122 
			 Oct 84 47 4 14 31 39 
			 Nov 46 65 175 17 77 162 
			 Dec 34 53 1 23 60 25 
			 Total 761 528 649 278 415 1303 
		
	
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Jan 25 16 9 11 52 92 
			 Feb 14 19 27 6 36 24 
			 Mar 36 33 35 18 48 80 
			 Apr 48 14 4 11 16 15 
			 May 36 7 50 14 93 81 
			 Jun 13 70 16 7 12 57 
			 Jul 11 59 8 36 24 521 
			 Aug 6 24 10 115 18 13 
			 Sep 1 6 22 93 24 9 
			 Oct 19 7 19 14 39 42 
			 Nov 14 18 22 115 62 371 
			 Dec 12 11 20 59 102  
			 Total 235 282 242 499 525

Manufacturing Industry

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the state of manufacturing industry in the UK.

John Healey: The global economic slowdown of 2001 was the principal cause of recent difficulties faced by UK manufacturers. G7 industrial output grew by 4.7 per cent. in 2000. During 2001 it contracted by 3.6 per cent. This was the sharpest slowdown in G7 industrial activity since 1975. But manufacturing output showed signs of stabilising in the course of 2002—in Q3 it rose by over 1 per cent., ending six consecutive quarters of decline.
	The stable macroeconomic framework is creating the right underlying conditions to enable manufacturing to invest, grow and prosper. The UK stands ready to benefit from any sustained recovery in the sector due to strong economic fundamentals and the Government's pro-active enterprise agenda.
	In particular, corporation tax is now lower than in any major industrialised country. Cuts in capital gains tax mean the UK's CGT regime will be more favourable than the US's from April. R&D tax credits for large companies will provide an important boost to UK manufacturing and RDAs have been created to drive growth in every English region.

New Deal

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the expenditure on (a) New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds, (b) New Deal for over-25s, (c) New Deal for over-50s, (d) New Deal for lone parents, (e) New Deal for disabled people, (f) New Deal for partners of unemployed people, (g) New Deal for schools, childcare and University for Industry was in each year from 1997–98 to 2001–02.

Ruth Kelly: Information on the allocation of the windfall tax can be found in the pre-Budget report published in November 2002, which is available in the Library.
	Expenditure within Departmental Expenditure Limit can be found in the departmental annual reports.
	Information on the expenditure of (a) through (f) can be found in Appendix 3 of the Department for Work and Pensions departmental report published in May 2002, which is available in the Library.
	Information on the expenditure for New Deal for schools, childcare and University for Industry can be found in Table 4.2 of the Department for Education and Skills 2002 departmental report, which is available in the Library.
	Other sources of child care expenditure include local authorities and devolved Governments.

Office of Government Commerce

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how effective the Office of Government Commerce has been at reducing costs for HM Government.

Paul Boateng: OGC has a target of delivering £1 billion of savings in Government procurement in the three years 2000–01 to 2002–03. After the first two years of this target period, Departments have reported total gains of £815 million.

Partnerships UK

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 169W, on Partnerships UK, what percentage of Partnerships UK is owned by HM Treasury.

Paul Boateng: HM Treasury and the Scottish Ministers hold 44.56 per cent. and 4.44 per cent. respectively of Partnerships UK's share capital. Further details of the company's structure and business activities can be found on its website, www. partnershipsuk.org.uk, and in the company's Public Information Memorandum and Annual Report for the year 2002 which are available from the House Library.

Peter Gershon

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the speeches made by Peter Gershon in his capacity as Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce since his appointment; and if he will place copies of the speeches in the Library.

Paul Boateng: The information is contained in the table and copies of the speeches made by Peter Gershon, Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce are available on the OGC Website www.ogc.qov.uk
	
		
			 Date Event 
		
		
			 4 April 2000 Public Sector E"PO 2000 
			 20 February 2001 Gateway Process Launch Transcript 
			 ¾ April 2001 Public Sector E"PO 2001 
			 22 May 2001 Greening Government Procurement Conference 
			 12 June 2001 PFI Conference 
			 7 September 2001 Global Revolution II Conference 
			 20 November 2001 GSSA Procurement event II—"Are we getting IT right now?" 
			 17/18 April 2002 Public Sector E"PO 2002 
			 13 May 2002 OGC/NAO Joint Seminar on Contract Management—"Managing long term contractual relationships" 
			 28 May 2002 Public Private Finance Congress—"The procurement policy—A government update" 
			 12 June 2002 Government Computing Conference— "Commercial reform in public services" 
			 28 June 2002 Worldwide Workplace Web (W4) Conference—"OGC: Catalysing value for money in public procurement" 
			 23 September 2002 Successful Delivery Skills Launch 
			 16 October 2002 OGC/HMT/PUK Conference on PPP/PFI—"Improving client capability" 
			 16 October 2002 Defence Estates Conference for Industry 
			 30 October 2002 Senior IT Forum Product Launch 
			 30 October 2002 Property and Construction Forum 2002—"Achieving value for money in property and construction projects" 
			 6 November 2002 SOPO Conference—"Defining the future of procurement"

Public Services

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of HM Treasury spending on improving the cost-effectiveness and quality of public services in each year from 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Since 1999–2000 figures for expenditure in support of the Treasury's better public services objective have been published in schedule 5 of its annual resource accounts (Cm 5062 and HC 573). The 2001–02 accounts will be published shortly. No figures are available for earlier years.

Public Services

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in delivering on his public service agreement target to improve the productivity of public services year by year; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Progress against this target is set out on page 6 of the HM Treasury Autumn Performance Report, Cm 5665.

Reserve Forces

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the level of NI employee contribution paid on behalf of individuals in their main job is protected during periods of service as an armed forces reservist; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Armed forces reservists receive earnings from the Ministry of Defence for periods of service. These earnings are liable to national insurance contributions.

Reservists' Pensions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether periods of service as an armed forces reservist count as periods of continued employment in a taxpayer's main job for the purposes of the favourable tax treatment given to the share option scheme called Enterprise Management Incentive; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether favourable tax treatment available to taxpayers in continued employment is lost to them during periods of service as an armed forces reservist; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Enterprise Management Incentive rules dealing with employees' working time do not cater specifically for periods of service by armed forces reservists. Normally this will not cause difficulty in determining an employee's eligibility to the tax advantages available under Enterprise Management Incentives. However, I will be asking my officials to consider whether any issues may arise.
	I am not aware of other instances where favourable tax treatment will in practice be lost, but if the hon. Gentleman has any particular case in mind perhaps he will write to me.

Royal Mint

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 596W, on the Royal Mint, for what reasons the review is commercially confidential; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The review is considered commercially confidential because if made public the review might unfairly prejudice the commercial position of the Royal Mint, to the detriment of the taxpayer.

Skye Bridge Toll

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will return to the Scottish Executive the revenue derived following the Scottish Executive's decision to pay the VAT on the Skye Bridge toll.

John Healey: Any agreements entered into by the Scottish Executive in respect of the Skye Bridge following the imposition of VAT on tolls will be funded from within the existing 2002 Spending Review settlement.

Stock Exchange

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the growth rate of the London Stock Exchange in comparison to the other major stock exchanges of the world in the last three years.

Paul Boateng: Between 1999 and 2002 the number of UK equity transactions conducted on the London Stock Exchange's main market rose by 78 per cent. Other major stock exchanges have also experienced a rise in transactions.

Student Loans

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost is to the Inland Revenue of the collection of student loan repayments; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue operates the collection of student loans scheme on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills. All costs are met by DfES.

Tax Evasion (Construction Industry)

Phil Sawford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is taking to combat tax evasion in the construction industry.

Dawn Primarolo: Since April 2002, the Inland Revenue has increased the number of specialist units which deal with industry compliance with the construction industry scheme from nine to 12.
	In addition, there are around 70 Employer Compliance Units that review businesses' compliance with their PAYE obligations and carry out employment status reviews. Each unit has staff specialising in status and construction industry work. These units are:
	participating in a national project which is examining all contracts between a sample of contractors and sub-contractors to ensure proper compliance with tax obligations;
	ensuring that a minimum percentage of resource is deployed on construction industry reviews (6 per cent.), including those identified by the national project; and
	ensuring that a minimum percentage of reviews relate to cases with a significant construction industry element (6.5 per cent.).
	A consultation paper, "The Inland Revenue and the Construction Industry: Working Together for a New Scheme", was published alongside the Pre-Budget Report. The paper outlines proposals for a replacement scheme that would reduce the burden of the scheme on the industry while providing the Revenue's compliance officers with new systems to enable them to tackle non-compliance quickly and effectively.

Treasury Building (PFI Deal)

Richard Bacon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total professional fees were for the Treasury Building PFI deal, broken down by (a) payer and (b) payee.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 27 June 2002, Official Report, columns 1051–52W.

Treasury Expenditure (Parliamentary Bodies)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of his Department's spending on the (a) Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, (b) British American Parliamentary Group, (c) Inter-Parliamentary Group and (d) British-Irish Parliamentary Body in each year from 1997–98; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The annual amounts of grant-in-aid paid to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the British-Irish Parliamentary Body are set out in the table.
	
		£ 
		
			  CPA BAPG IPU BMP 
		
		
			 1997–98 88,750 70,170 843,899 149,601 
			 1998–99 888,750 82,124 785,000 149,000 
			 1999–2000 868,300 73,350 785,000 201,700 
			 2000–01 2,498,683 84,600 853,000 218,000 
			 2001–02 93,750 85,420 0 95,000 
			 2002–03(18) 362,710 96,250 294,000 0 
		
	
	(18) Forecast

Vehicle Excise Duty

Robert Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the exemption date for vehicle excise duty on classic cars to vehicles made before 1 January 1973.

John Healey: The Chancellor announced in his 1998 Budget speech that rolling forward exemption for vehicles over 25-years-old would stop so that only vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1973 remained eligible for the exemption. Continuing the rolling forward exemption was difficult to justify on environmental grounds. Any changes to taxation policy will be announced by the Chancellor in the context of his Budget judgment.

Working Families Tax Credit

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of time is which it takes for a new applicant to receive Working Families Tax Credit; and how much back-dating of Working Families Tax Credit is allowable.

Dawn Primarolo: Specific figures are not available giving average UK processing times for new Working Families Tax Credit applications. But the Inland Revenue aims to decide 91 per cent. of all Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) applications within 30 days of receiving them, and for the period from 1 April 2002 to 31 December 2002, the Inland Revenue assessed 97 per cent. of all WFTC applications within 30 days of receipt.
	Entitlement to Working Families Tax Credit is generally based on a family's circumstances at the date they make their application. Where a late application is made, there are prescribed circumstances in which back-dating of up to a maximum of three months may be allowed.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Helen Southworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take action to ensure that housing designated as affordable housing when planning consent is given is (a) affordable in relation to the market in the planning authority area rather than solely in relation to the specific site land values and (b) retained within the affordable housing sector for a reasonable period.

Tony McNulty: Circular 06/98 "Planning and Affordable Housing" advises that local planning authorities should define in their local plans what they regard as affordable housing, based on up-to-date surveys and other data of local need. The circular explains that definitions should be framed to endure for the life of the plan, for instance, through references to the level of local incomes and their relationship to house prices or rents, rather than to a particular price or rent.
	Circular 06/98 also provides guidance on the securing and controlling of the occupancy of such housing by, for example, the involvement of a registered social landlord or through the use of appropriate planning conditions or obligations. The Government are looking at circular 06/98 and whether it needs to be revised. An announcement will be made shortly.

Annual Report

Norman Lamb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much producing his Department's latest annual report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created as a separate Department on 29 May 2002 and will publish its first annual report in the spring of 2003. Material which is relevant to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's responsibilities can be found in the annual reports of the former Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Cabinet Office.

Annual Report

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish his Office's annual report for 2002–03.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to publish its first Annual Report in April 2003.

Contaminated Land

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Office is taking to promote (a) the decontamination of contaminated land and (b) its development in preference to development of green field sites; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: As my right hon Friend the Deputy Prime Minister said in his statement on sustainable communities, housing and planning on 18 July 2002, Official Report columns 438–442. the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister needs to make better use of land. The Government target that 60 per cent. of additional homes should be on brown-field land is being met but the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister needs to keep up the pressure.
	English Partnerships have been appointed as the Government's expert advisors on brown-field land. They are currently working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to draw up a National Brown-field Strategy to be presented to the Deputy Prime Minister for approval in Spring 2003.
	In addition, The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister consulted in February 2002 on new technical planning advice on the development on land affected by contamination. This emphasised the positive role of planning in bringing about the remediation of contaminated land. It recognised particularly that much of the contaminated land identified under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will be subject to voluntary remediation through the planning system as part of the process of redevelopment. This revision of the contaminated land aspects of Planning policy guidance note 23 will be incorporated later this year in a new Planning policy statement, accompanied by a technical annexes on development on land affected by contamination.

Departmental Credit Cards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many credit cards have been issued for official use by the Department since May 2002; how many departmental credit cards are in use; what has been the itemised cost for each credit card; and how many departmental credit cards are in use that were issued prior to May 2002.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister uses the Government Procurement Card and Corporate Card; there is no cost to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is unable to separate figures from Department for Transport without incurring disproportionate cost.
	There were 84 cards issued since May 2002, which brings the total number in use at present to 214. Prior to May 2002 there were 125 cards in use.

External Consultants

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to his Department was of the use of external consultants in 2002.

Christopher Leslie: The total cost to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on external consultants since it was established on 29 May 2002 is £24,126,108.

Golden Jubilee Medals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reasons underlie the delay in awarding firefighters with their Golden Jubilee medals; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: There is no delay. The schedule agreed with the Royal Mint when the contract was extended to include emergency services, provided for the issue to be completed by June 2003.

Headstones

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what mechanism exists for compensating relatives for the cost of raising headstones that have been laid flat for safety reasons by local authorities;
	(2)  what measures he advises local authorities to take to advise relatives of the instability of headstones in cemeteries;
	(3)  how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries have been attributed to unsafe headstones in cemeteries in each year since 1990;
	(4)  if he will estimate the cost to local authorities in 2002–03 of the safety testing of headstones;
	(5)  what guidance is issued to local authorities on funding the safety of headstones in cemeteries.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the total number of deaths and injuries is not recorded centrally, but I understand that, sadly, there have been at least one death and 14 injuries attributed to unstable memorials in recent years.
	Advice for all burial authorities on the issues arising from unsafe memorials is currently being considered by the Home Office-chaired Burial and Cemeteries Advisory Group. The aim is to supplement and expand on existing advice issued by the Health and Safety Executive and the relevant professional organisations. I expect to issue that advice later this year.
	If a local authority has acted in a way which gives ground for compensation, or is found by a court to have so acted, it will be a matter for the authority to decide whether or how to meet any proper claim.
	Information is not available on the extent of safety testing by local authorities and an estimate on such costs cannot therefore be made.

House Condition Survey

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list for each region from the latest available English house condition survey the figures for (a) construction date, (b) unfitness, (c) worst and best condition, (d) unfit vacants, (e) unfitness, broken down by dwelling type, (f) reason for vacancy and (g) variation of general comprehensive and urgent repair costs, broken down by type of tenure.

Tony McNulty: The 1996 English House Condition Survey (EHCS) regional report provides the currently available EHCS results which can be produced at the regional level. A copy of the report is available in the Library of the House. Copies of the supporting data tables are available on the website at http://www.odpm.gov.uk.

Housing (Rural Areas)

Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many households were classified as homeless and in priority need of housing in (a) England and (b) local authorities defined as rural, by region, in each year since 1978;
	(2)  how many people were on the waiting list for social housing in (a) England and (b) local authorities defined as rural, by region, in each year since 1978.

Tony McNulty: A table presenting available information reported by local authorities in England since 1985–86 in respect of homeless households in priority need accepted annually, and total households on their housing register at 1 April deemed to be "in need", has been placed in the Library of House. Figures are presented for each region, distinguishing activity in authorities categorised as either "mixed rural" or "deep rural".
	Local authorities have different practices for compiling and managing their housing register which mean that comparisons between authorities can be misleading. Authorities' policies and practices may change, which can also affect comparisons over time.

Housing (Rural Areas)

Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average (a) public sector and (b) private sector rent was for housing in (i) England and (ii) local authorities defined as rural, by region, in each year since 1978.

Tony McNulty: In all three tables "rural areas" refers to those local authorities classified by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as "mixed rural" or "deeply rural".
	The figures shown do not go back to 1978, as requested. This is because the current definitions of urban/rural apply to current local authority boundaries only. Rental figures prior to 1996 would require us to refer to earlier local authority boundaries and could be determined only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Average registered social landlords weekly rents in rural areas only—as at 31 March each year -- £
		
			 Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 North East 40.30 42.81 44.63 44.79 45.88 47.60 
			 North West 38.50 42.07 43.79 45.71 45.13 47.84 
			 Yorks and Humber 41.45 44.04 46.55 48.38 49.77 51.25 
			 East Midlands 46.93 49.27 46.27 45.84 46.86 48.15 
			 West Midlands 42.24 43.94 45.90 48.79 47.19 49.11 
			 Eastern 44.34 46.61 49.80 51.58 52.99 55.24 
			 London n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 South East 51.14 55.14 58.48 60.78 61.40 63.77 
			 South West 48.92 51.75 52.01 53.02 53.73 55.99 
			 All England (urban and rural) 46.81 49.82 51.92 53.11 53.90 55.81 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Corporation, annual Regulatory and Statistical Return.
	
		Average local authority weekly rents in rural areas only—as at end-April each year -- £
		
			 Region 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 North East 35.24 36.45 37.40 38.59 39.59 41.02 42.41 
			 North West 35.24 36.62 37.34 38.25 40.12 42.97 45.37 
			 Yorks and Humber 34.66 35.60 36.64 38.26 40.35 42.26 44.06 
			 East Midlands 34.76 36.61 38.00 39.10 41.22 42.47 41.34 
			 West Midlands 34.48 34.88 36.44 38.16 39.70 42.55 43.60 
			 Eastern 40.40 41.50 42.57 43.30 45.48 47.83 48.70 
			 London n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 South East 46.47 47.55 48.97 52.18 52.65 53.79 56.43 
			 South West 42.49 42.79 44.00 44.86 45.92 47.57 49.17 
			 All England(urban and rural) 40.10 41.18 42.24 43.82 45.61 47.87 49.42 
		
	
	Sources:
	1. 1996–2000: Housing Subsidies and Grants Advance Claim Forms submitted by local authorities.
	2. 2001–02: Survey of Local Authority planned rent changes, conducted annually by the ODPM.
	
		Average private sector weekly rents in rural areas, April 2000 to March 2002 -- £
		
			 Region 2000–02 
		
		
			 North East 74 
			 North West 77 
			 Yorks and Humber 81 
			 East Midlands 77 
			 West Midlands 86 
			 Eastern 85 
			 London n/a 
			 South East 108 
			 South West 80 
			 All England (urban and rural) 107 
		
	
	Notes on the table of private sector rents:
	1. Private rent figures are based on assured and assured shorthold tenancies only
	2. The rents shown are before deduction of housing benefit, if any
	3. Average rents are shown for a two-year period because sample size considerations prevent data being shown for individual years.
	4. Analysis of data prior to 2000–02 would incur disproportionate costs
	Source:
	Survey of English Housing.

Housing Investment

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what capital resources for housing investment have been allocated at 2002–03 prices to Birmingham City Council in each year since 1990–91.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is tabled as follows:
	
		£ million 
		
			  Actual allocations(19) In 2002–03 prices(20) 
		
		
			 1990–91 62.3 87.2 
			 1991–92 54.3 71.6 
			 1992–93 54.1 69.2 
			 1993–94 47.7 59.6 
			 1994–95 36.2 44.7 
			 1995–96 41.6 49.9 
			 1996–97 40.0 46.5 
			 1997–98 35.0 39.4 
			 1998–99 44.9 49.2 
			 1999–2000 45.1 48.2 
			 2000–01 80.9 84.7 
			 2001–02 90.2 92.5 
			 2002–03 87.9 87.9 
			 2003–04(21) 74.0 72.4 
		
	
	(19) Covers housing annual capital guidelines (which include an element to be financed from authorities' capital receipts); the major repairs allowance; support for disabled facilities grants; the Capital Receipts Initiative; and ring-fenced support for a number of housing schemes, eg Cash Incentive Schemes. Estate Action scheme funding is excluded.
	(20) Allocations have been converted to 2002–03 prices using the GDP Deflator.
	(21) The reduction in the allocation in 2003–04 mainly reflects a change in the local government capital finance system which means the allocations no longer include an element assumed to be financed from authorities capital receipts. The figure also excludes the allocation for disabled facilities grants which has not yet been announced.

Housing Investment

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the annual housing investment that will be needed to ensure that his target for decent homes is met.

Tony McNulty: To meet the decent homes target for social housing the investment needed has to both tackle homes that currently fail the standard and prevent homes from falling below it. For homes currently owned by local authorities the estimated average annual investment in their stock required to deliver decent homes is £3.5 billion at current prices. This figure will reduce with stock losses from this sector. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not yet have comparable figures for homes owned by Registered Social Landlords.

Job Sharing

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in his Department.

Christopher Leslie: Approximately 7.8 per cent. of staff in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Central work part-time. Information specifically on job sharers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Job sharing forms just one strand of a range of possible alternative and flexible working arrangements. Under Office of the Deputy Prime Minister central posting arrangements, all posts are open to part-time workers or job sharers. In very exceptional cases where line managers consider that a post cannot be filled on a part-time/job share basis, they must make a case to Human Resources setting out compelling reasons for this.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, in conjunction with the Department for Transport, supports a part-time workers network.
	The executive agencies of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister agencies, in almost all cases, also operate a policy of advertising all posts as open to part-time workers or job sharers. All operate a range of flexible working options.

Local Government Finance

Theresa May: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many local authorities (a) requested meetings with ministers to discuss their funding settlement for 2003–04, (b) were granted meetings with ministers as requested and (c) were refused a meeting but were subsequently called to such a meeting;
	(2)  what criteria were used to determine which local authorities were granted a meeting with a minister to discuss their funding settlement for 2003–04.

Christopher Leslie: The cover letter to the provisional local government finance settlement consultation paper stated that meeting requests should be received as early in the consultation process as possible and by the 20 December at the latest. We warned that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to offer meetings to every individual authority that would ideally like one. All meetings had to take place before the end of consultation on the 14 January.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received 51 requests before this deadline and held meetings with each of these delegations. We received nine requests for meetings after the 20 December. These were allocated on a first-come first-served basis and we were able to meet four of these delegations. No authority was refused a meeting and then subsequently called to a meeting during this consultation period.
	We received a total of 385 written responses to consultation, including representations from all those who requested meetings after the deadline but whom we could not accommodate.

Local Government Finance (Somerset)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cash reserves of (a) Taunton Deane Borough Council, (b) Somerset County Council, (c) Mendip District Council, (d) West Somerset District Council, (e) Sedgemoor District Council and (f) South Somerset District Council were in each of the last 15 years.

Nick Raynsford: The available information, as reported by local authorities, is tabled.
	
		Cash reserves(22)at the beginning of the financial year -- £000
		
			 Year Somerset Mendip Sedgemoor Taunton on Deane South Somerset West Somerset 
		
		
			 1990–91 14,691 475 1,999 3,458 549 1,660 
			 1991–92 15,933 1,867 1,291 4,330 1,473 1,835 
			 1992–93 28,183 2,509 72 5,049 1,872 1,312 
			 1993–94 28,349 3,201 46 5,139 2,116 943 
			 1994–95 40,560 2,408 2,167 1,674 5,638 768 
			 1995–96 41,946 3,407 1,402 1,643 10,582 874 
			 1996–97 26,679 3,407 3,040 6,054 8,334 974 
			 1997–98 33,617 3,086 5,031 3,265 9,975 1,187 
			 1998–99 31,859 3,188 5,931 3,838 9,389 1,800 
			 1999–2000 35,070 3,824 6,045 3,213 7,396 1,200 
			 2000–01 38,410 1,348 2,654 4,555 9,860 800 
			 2001–02 45,225 867 5,872 4,942 10,198 928 
		
	
	(22) Cash reserves include schools' reserves, other earmarked reserves and unallocated reserves.
	Information is not available prior to 1990–91.
	Source:
	RS forms 1990–91 to 2001–02

Mobile Phone Masts

David Davis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many appeals he has received from mobile phone companies to erect transmission masts in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the last 12 months; and how many appeals were upheld.

Tony McNulty: Since 1 January 2002, for the East Riding area of Yorkshire, 12 appeals regarding the erection of telecoms masts were received, 10 of which were allowed.

Neighbourhood Renewal

Patsy Calton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 4 December 2002, Official Report, column 887W, concerning neighbourhood renewal status, what guidelines are issued to or requirements made of local authorities in receipt of neighbourhood renewal status funds about expenditure of such money; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Roche: Guidelines for local authorities in receipt of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) are set out annually in a Special Grant Report.
	Special Grant Report No. 93, which has been placed in the Library of the House, explains the purpose, allocations and spending conditions of NRF grant in 2002–03. The grant conditions include the requirements that: local authorities should agree the use of NRF with their Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), and they should submit my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister an annual Statement of Use, also agreed with the LSP, setting out how the grant is being spent and what impact is expected to be achieved with the grant.
	(Arrangements for 2003–04 will be specified shortly, in a Special Grant Report for that year).

Payment of Bills

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of bills to his Department since May 2002 were paid (a) in accordance with agreed contractual conditions and (b) within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice where no contractual conditions applied.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister only pays invoices which are valid and in accordance with contract conditions 96.88 per cent. of valid invoices were paid within 30 days, this is the latest figure available for the period up to 30 November 2002.

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many days were lost due to sickness absence in the Department in 2002.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following machinery of Government changes in May 2002. The most recent 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service' published by the Cabinet Office and announced by Ministerial Statement on 19 December 2002 covered the calendar year 2001. Figures for 2002 will be announced in due course.

St. Oswalds Park

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the ODPM will release the findings of the public inquiry on Gloucester's St Oswalds Park development.

Tony McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has not yet received the report and recommendations from his Inspector following the Public Inquiry into the proposed development at St. Oswalds Park, Gloucester.
	On receipt of the report my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will aim to make his decision as soon as possible.

Travellers Sites

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on the provision of permanent sites for travellers; and what action he will take to ensure that all local authorities provide such sites where there is a need.

Tony McNulty: Local authorities have a power to provide Gypsy and Traveller sites within their areas.
	The Government continues to issue guidelines to local authorities reminding them of their need to establish both permanent and temporary sites with adequate facilities for Gypsies and Travellers who pass through their areas on a regular basis.
	In order to assist with provision, the 2003–04 round of the current Gypsy Sites Refurbishment Grant has been extended to provide funding for transit sites and emergency stopping places as well as to continue to refurbish existing sites.

Travellers Sites

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will issue additional planning policy guidance to make it easier for local authorities to obtain planning permission for local authority sites for travellers.

Tony McNulty: The procedures dealing with development undertaken by local authorities are contained in the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992. Guidance on the regulations is given in DOE Circular 19/92. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to issue further guidance.

Travellers Sites

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he plans to impose a duty on local authorities to provide suitable sites for travellers.

Tony McNulty: There are no current plans to reintroduce the statutory duty placed on local authorities to provide gipsy and traveller sites in their areas.

Travellers Sites

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what means he plans to make available to (a) private and (b) public landowners to remove travellers from unauthorised encampments more easily if local authorities have been (i) unable and (ii) unwilling to provide suitable sites for travellers.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office are proposing to introduce new police powers to manage unauthorised encampments, but these powers will be used only if the local authority has provided alternative site provision for gipsies and travellers.
	If no alternative local authority sites are available then the existing powers under Sections 61 to 62 and 77 to 79 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 will still be available to police and local authorities to remove travellers.
	Private landowners will also be able to go through the civil courts for the recovery of their land under Orders 24 and 113.

Unitary Development Plans (Affordable Housing)

Martin Linton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many London boroughs have (a) unitary development plans and (b) revised unitary development plans specifying in an objective or other paragraph that is not a policy what proportion of affordable housing should be provided on suitable sites.
	(2)  how many London boroughs have (a) unitary development plans and (b) revised unitary development plans specifying in a policy what proportion of affordable housing should be provided on suitable sites.

Tony McNulty: Of the thirty three London Boroughs nineteen have adopted or revised but not yet adopted unitary development plans specifying in policy what proportion of affordable housing should be provided. Three have the proportion specified in supporting text. The proportions are typically expressed as ranges, minima or borough averages rather than a requirement for each site.

Women's Refuges

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the targets are for numbers of refuge places for women in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands, and how much refuge provision for women there is in each.

Barbara Roche: Targets are not set centrally for refuge places for women. It is for local authorities to assess need for refuge places in their areas and to take steps to address that need. Supporting People Commissioning Bodies have recently completed shadow strategies setting out their assessment of service provision for local people, including for women experiencing domestic violence, and how they will address gaps in supply. The Government's steer to Commissioning Bodies on preparing these strategies encouraged them to give particular consideration to provision for high risk or vulnerable groups, such as women fleeing domestic violence.
	Data on refuge provision was gathered in September as part of the preparations for the Supporting People programme. In Coventry, 35 household spaces in women's refuge provision for women at risk of domestic violence were recorded. In the West Midlands, 474 such spaces were recorded.

DEFENCE

Aircraft Carrier Modernisation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the procedures to be followed in the competitive bidding for the contract for aircraft carrier modernisation.

Adam Ingram: The Future Aircraft Carrier project has utilised a Continuous Assessment process for the selection of prime contractor. This takes account of all relevant factors in order to ensure that we acquire the capability required at best value for money. Wider industrial issues are also being considered, consistent with the defence industrial policy published in the autumn. Our decision will be announced shortly.

Iraq

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the assistance the US has requested for possible action in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: As I told the House on 25 November 2002, the United States has approached a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, seeking support in the event that military action against Iraq proves necessary.

Armed Forces (Middle East)

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the length of time forces deployed in the middle east can remain effective.

Adam Ingram: While we want Saddam Hussein to disarm voluntarily, it is evident that we shall not achieve this unless we continue to present him with a clear and credible threat of force. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence told the House on Monday 20 January 2003, the United Kingdom forces being deployed to the Mediterranean and the middle east have the balance and flexibility for the tasks that might be asked of them. Exercise Saif Sareea II in Oman, towards the end of 2001, clearly demonstrated our ability to deploy United Kingdom ground forces to the middle east and sustain them there. I am confident therefore that we can sustain forces in the region for as long as necessary.

A-bomb Tests

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to assess the health problems of ex-military staff subjected to radiation from A-bomb tests.

Lewis Moonie: Two epidemiological studies of some 22,000 participants of the British nuclear test programme have been carried out on the Ministry of Defence's behalf by the National Radiological Protection Board. The results of these studies were published in 1988 and 1993. They showed that, as a group, participation in the tests has had no detectable effect on the expectation of life, or on the risk of developing cancer or other fatal diseases by those who took part.
	The results of a third study are to be published in a few months' time. There are no plans for any further studies.
	The Ministry of Defence is aware of clinical study programmes being undertaken at various universities worldwide. We have reservations about the applicability to test participants today since any radiation exposures involved in the tests were generally very small and over 40 years ago.

Royal Navy (Gulf)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the activities of the Royal Navy in the Gulf.

Adam Ingram: There are currently six Royal Navy and two Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships on long-planned deployments to the Gulf. The Type 42 Destroyer, HMS Cardiff, is on Armilla Patrol contributing, with other nations, to the enforcement of UN embargoes against Iraq. It is usual for a United Kingdom tanker to be deployed in the region to support the Armilla patrol. At present, RFA Bayleaf is the Armilla tanker.
	The Type 22 Frigate, HMS Cumberland, is in the Gulf in support of operations against international terrorism. Four Mine Counter Measures vessels, HMS Bangor, HMS Brockelsby, HMS Blyth and HMS Sandown, together with RFA Sir Bedevere, are in the region at the invitation of the Saudi Government, made early last year, to carry out a series of joint exercises. This invitation followed on from the success of similar co-operation during Exercise Saif Sareea II. In addition, the survey vessel, HMS Roebuck, is also on a long-planned deployment to the Gulf.

Iraq (Post-conflict)

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role British troops will have in a post-conflict Iraq.

Adam Ingram: There is no inevitability about military action against Iraq; this question is therefore hypothetical at this stage. What I can say is that we take very seriously our current and potential responsibilities towards the Iraqi people. In the aftermath of any conflict, Britain would remain at the forefront of efforts to help the Iraqi people.

US Missile Defence System

Nigel Beard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of whether the US missile defence system could protect the UK and her allies from ballistic missile attack.

Geoff Hoon: The United States missile defence programme remains evolutionary and its future architecture has still finally to be decided. The US has offered to extend missile defence coverage and make missile defence capabilities available to the United Kingdom as the evolution of the system permits, subject to appropriate political and financial arrangements. An assessment of how coverage of the UK and allies might be achieved is included in the discussion paper published by the Ministry of Defence on 9 December 2002. The UK will continue this process of assessment, not least through agreeing a technical Memorandum of Understanding with the United States to gain further insight into the missile defence programme.

First World War (Military Executions)

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on the subject of British soldiers executed after courts martial in the first world war; and what replies he has given.

Lewis Moonie: In the last six months, I have received five representations from hon. and right hon. Members and 32 from members of the public on this issue.
	The position has not changed since the detailed and careful review by my right hon. Friend Dr. John Reid, the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces, who announced his conclusions to this House on 24 July 1998, Official Report, columns 1372–86.
	This review resulted in very important steps being taken to recognise these men as victims of the war and to draw them and their families into the nation's consciousness and remembrance. The public commemoration of these men in the National Memorial Arboretum is very fitting.

Fylingdales

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the use of Fylingdales for national missile defence.

Geoff Hoon: As I informed the House on 15 January 2003, the Government's preliminary conclusion is that we should agree to the US request to upgrade RAF Fylingdales for missile defence purposes. Ballistic missile early warning would continue to be the station's primary role. The upgrade would enable the radar to track incoming missiles more accurately and guide interceptions by defensive missiles if necessary. We will take full account of the views which have been expressed in public and parliamentary discussion before communicating a final decision to the US Administration.

Departmental Suppliers (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on suppliers to his Department based in Lancashire.

Adam Ingram: The importance to the Ministry of Defence of our Lancashire-based suppliers is well understood. Work on defence contracts valued at many hundreds of millions of pounds is currently being carried out by well over 150 suppliers located in the county. The aerospace industry is of particular significance in the area, with BAES maintaining substantial facilities at Warton and Samlesbury. Prime contractors, together with a wide range of smaller companies supplying components and services, play an important role in equipping our Armed Forces.

Afghanistan

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the operation of the new joint regional teams in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: We welcome the recent United States announcement on the deployment of Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan, intended to help stabilise further the Afghan regions. We are examining the role we might play in these teams, and the possibility of leading one, but no decisions have been taken.

845 Squadron

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the last three operational deployments of 845 Squadron and the length of time between them; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The following table lists the last three operational deployments of 845 Naval Air Squadron, the period of deployment from their parent Air Station and the length of time between each deployment:
	
		
			 Serial Operational deployment/location Period of operational deployment(23) Length of time between operational deployment 
		
		
			 1 Operation TELIC Location-Middle East 16 January 2003 to date 7 months 12 days (Serial 2–1) 
			 2 Operation ORACLE Location-Middle East 11 November 2001 to 4 June 2002 10 months 10 days (Serial 3–2) 
			 3 Operation PALATINE Location-Bosnia 11 November 1992 to 1 January 2001 17 months 8 days (Serial 4–3) 
			 4 Operation GRANBY Location-Middle East 5 January 1991 to 3 June 1991 — 
		
	
	(23) The objectives contained in Royal Navy guidelines include individual personnel deployments being no longer than nine calendar months and the total deployed time in any three-year period not exceeding 18 months. There has been general adherence to these objectives

Aircraft Carriers

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of success for each of the bidders in the future aircraft carrier programme on the possibility of future co-operation with France on the construction of a new French carrier; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We have made no such assessment. The possibility of co-operation with France on carrier construction has not been a factor in the selection of a preferred prime contractor for the Future Aircraft Carrier programme.

Anthrax Vaccine

Paul Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has established the origin of anthrax and other vaccines washed up on the South Dorset coast; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The anthrax vaccine found on the South Dorset coast is from a batch produced by the centre for Applied Microbiology and Research and purchased by the Ministry of Defence in February 2001. Because ampoules from the batch were issued to a large number of units it has not yet been possible to identify how they came to be in the sea. As far as we are aware, this is the only vaccine found, although a number of other pharmaceutical products, including drugs, have been recovered. Investigations into the source of the items found are continuing.

BAE Systems

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's relationship with BAE Systems; and what assessment he has made of (a) the strengths and (b) the weaknesses of BAE Systems in delivering his Department's procurement requirements.

Geoff Hoon: The Ministry of Defence has an excellent relationship with BAE Systems. The company is a key supplier to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. It has delivered substantial military capability over the years and I expect that it will continue to do so in the future.

BAE Systems

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the strategic significance to the UK of BAE Systems.

Geoff Hoon: BAE Systems is the largest supplier to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and is involved in many of our largest and most complex programmes. It is a very successful British and international company, with an excellent track record of winning overseas business. Our defence industrial policy, published in October 2002, made clear the importance the Government places on the whole of the UK defence industry.

BAE Systems

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has been advised in 2003 of interest by a non-UK company in merging with or taking over BAE Systems.

Geoff Hoon: The Ministry of Defence has not been advised of any interest by any company in merging with or taking over BAE Systems.

Battalion Deployments

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the last three operational deployments of (a) 1st Armoured Division and (b) 102 Logistics Brigade, broken down by battalion, stating in each case the length of time between operational tours.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Battalion Strength

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions during the last five years were battalions and corps attached to other battalions and corps to bring that battalion up to strength for the purposes of operational deployment, giving in each case (a) the source and size of the attached unit and length of time attached, (b) location of deployment and (c) the length of time that the attached unit was rested before subsequent deployments.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Challenger

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Challenger II tanks are (a) undergoing desertification, (b) fully serviceable and (c) 1, 2, 3, 4th line inserviceable, broken down by regiment.

Adam Ingram: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced in the House on 20 January 2003, 120 Challenger 2 tanks are to be deployed in support of current contingency planning. It is expected that all of these will be modified to improve their performance in desert conditions. In addition to the Challenger 2 tanks that we are modifying for contingency operations, consideration is being given to modifying further Challenger 2s. This decision does not in any way effect those tanks deploying, and will therefore be taken as part of the routine equipment planning process. I will write to the hon. Member with details of availability.

Clansman

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Clansmen radios have been issued to the task force commanded by Ark Royal; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Clansman portable radios are carried by all Royal Navy warships, including those in the task force commanded by HMS Ark Royal.

Container Spares

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stocks of spares his Department holds for containers handling rough terrain and how many units would the Ministry of Defence currently be able to deploy on operations; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are sufficient stocks of spares to support and sustain the fleet of 26 Rough Terrain Container Handlers. Arrangements are also in place with our industrial suppliers to ensure rapid re-provision as needed. There are 17 of these container handlers available for deployment now. Of the remainder three are already deployed in the Balkans, four are required to maintain essential capability in the United Kingdom and two are undergoing in-depth repair.

Contingency Plans (Iraq)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his medical contingency plans in respect of Iraq with particular reference to military hospitals, after care and convalescence contingency planning for armed forces personnel (a) not involved in Iraq, and (b) based in Iraq.

Lewis Moonie: Our medical contingency plans for Service personnel deployed to the Gulf area in the event of military action against Iraq include the provision of integrated medical support within units, dressing stations and field hospitals and, if necessary, medical evacuation back to the United Kingdom where aftercare and convalescence would be provided as appropriate. Service personnel serving elsewhere overseas and those in the UK would continue to receive medical care under existing arrangements.

Defence Reviews

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on defence reviews; and what further defence reviews are planned for the armed forces.

Geoff Hoon: The Government published the results of its comprehensive Strategic Defence Review (Cm 3999) in 1998. Following the events of 11 September 2001 we launched work to ensure that our defence policies, capabilities and force structures matched the new challenges we faced. The conclusions of this work were published in the SDR New Chapter (Cm 5566) in July 2002.
	In announcing the publication of the new Chapter and the allocation of increased resources to defence in the Spending Review, I said that this provided a "mandate for accelerating the modernisation and evolution of the Armed Forces" Official Report, column 462. The capabilities and force structures of the Armed Forces must continue to evolve in the direction set by the New Chapter. I intend to publish a Defence White Paper later this year. This will provide an updated statement of Defence policy and explain in detail our plans for modernising the delivery of enhanced defence capability.

Departmental Buildings

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the professional fees were to each payee for the redevelopment of his Department's main building, broken down by (a) his Department and (b) the PFI contractor.

Adam Ingram: The total professional fees (excluding VAT) paid by the Ministry of Defence to each payee to date are as follows:
	
		Total professional fees (excluding VAT) paid by the Ministry of Defence to each payee to date -- £
		
			 Payee Profession Fee 
		
		
			 IBM Business Consulting Services (formerly Pricewaterhouse Coopers) Financial Advice and Management/Administration Team 5.62million 
			 DEGW Architects and Space Planning l.51million 
			 Waterman Partnerships Structured Engineers 0.47million 
			 Bernard Williams Associates Cost Consultants and Facility Management Specialists 0.47 
			 DTZ Town Planners 0.18 
			 Roger Preston and Partners Mechanical, Electrical Engineers, IT Infrastructure 0.64 
			 Bovis Program Management Construction and Programming 0.65million 
			 Herbert Smith Legal Advice 2.12million 
		
	
	Fees paid by the PFI Contractor are a matter for Modus Services plc (the PFI contractor).

Eurofighter

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria were applied in selecting areas of airspace suitable for testing the Eurofighter; what consultation was carried out with local communities; and what steps he is taking to monitor nuisance caused by test flights.

Adam Ingram: The Eurofighter aircraft requires large areas of airspace in which to train. Following a review of current allocation of air space, the National Air Traffic Control Services and the Ministry of Defence have therefore agreed to redesignate airspace over the North Sea. Three large managed areas have been designated which, when required, may be "booked" and used for military training. Only the most northerly designated training area covers any land, and within this area all flights will be conducted above 24,500ft. Under Government guidelines public consultation regarding the use of airspace is not required except where flight takes place below 7,000ft.
	The conduct of military flying is taken extremely seriously and any complaints are thoroughly investigated by the Ministry of Defence. Particular rules govern supersonic flight and these will continue to be strictly enforced.

European Procurement Projects

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made to help deliver major European collaborative procurement projects on schedule.

Adam Ingram: We remain committed to maximising the benefits that can be derived from collaborative defence equipment programmes. The smart acquisition initiative stresses the need to predict and plan against those issues that have the potential to cause delay. This aims to ensure that risks and opportunities are addressed before we commit to new co-operative programmes. More generally, the development of the international agency OCCAR continues to be an important part of our aim to provide an effective route for the management of defence equipment collaborative programmes.

Exercises and Operational Deployments

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) exercises and (b) operational deployments were undertaken during (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003 by (A) HQ3 Commando Brigade, (B) 40 Commando Royal Marines and (C) 42 Commando Royal Marines; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 23 January 2003
	In 2001, HQ 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines took part in Exercises, ROLLING DEEP, JMC 01, ARGONAUT 01 and SAIF SAREEA 2 and were operationally deployed to Kosovo. 40 Commando Royal Marines took part in Exercises DRUIDS DANCE, ROLLING DEEP, ARGONAUT 01 and SAIF SAREEA 2 and were operationally deployed to Afghanistan. 42 Commando Royal Marines took part in the WINTER Deployment, Exercises TARTAN RELIEF, FASTBALL and BLACKHORSE and were operationally deployed to Sierra Leone.
	In 2002, 40 Cdo who took part in Exercise BLACKHORSE were operationally deployed to Afghanistan, as were HQ 3 Cdo Bde RM. 42 Cdo RM were operationally deployed to Northern Ireland.
	Currently 40 Cdo are deployed with Naval Task Group 03 and will undertake training exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean. There have been no operational deployments in 2003.

HMS Ocean (Helicopters)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters, of which type, are aboard HMS Ocean.

Adam Ingram: As at 20 January 2003 the following helicopters aboard HMS Ocean were:
	
		
			 Helicopter Total 
		
		
			 Sea King HC Mk4 10 
			 Lynx AH Mk 7 6 
			 Gazelle AH Mkl 6

HMS Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to safeguard the archaeological integrity of HMS Sussex.

Lewis Moonie: The project has been developed on the basis of archaeological best practice in deep water condition. An Independent Monitoring Panel of archaeologists, with the participation of English Heritage, has been set up to review the Project Plan. The agreement with the contractor provides for official observers to be present during the whole exploration and recovery process at sea and to oversee the arrangements and standards of conservation work ashore.

Military Clothing

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stocks his Department holds of (a) desert boots, (b) desert clothing and (c) Combat 95 clothing; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: As at 17 January 2003 we held, in central stocks: 16,300 pairs of desert combat boots; 30,800 pairs of desert trousers and 24,000 desert jackets; and 262,986 lightweight jackets, 399,902 pairs of combat trousers and 220,877 field jackets.
	Information on unit level holdings of these items is not held centrally. Contracts have been placed to ensure the supply of sufficient desert boots, desert jackets and desert trousers. Our normal requirement is to hold sufficient stocks of desert boots and clothing to kit to scale the Joint Rapid Reaction Force.

Mobility

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress made since 1997 in (a) making British forces more mobile and (b) increasing their ability to contribute to international peace and security.

Geoff Hoon: The Strategic Defence Review recognised that conflict prevention, peace support, and crisis management require a powerful force that is capable of immediate and, if necessary, sustained operations. It established the concept of Joint Rapid Reaction Forces to provide more capable, more deployable, and better supported Joint Forces. The initial operating capability was achieved in 1999, and elements have been deployed successfully both on operations and exercises. 16 Air Assault brigade, also formed in 1999, combines airborne and air mobile assets with, in the future, the new attack helicopter, and provides a further significant enhancement to our tactical mobility.
	In addition, the lease of four C17 aircraft in 2001, followed by the introduction of the A400M at the end of the decade, the procurement of a new Strategic Sealift Service of six RoRo vessels through a PFI-type contract in 2000, the provision of an interim strategic sealift capability through commercial charters until this new service is fully available (currently expected to be late this year); and the ordering of four new Bay class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)s expected to enter service before the end of 2005, all represent a significant enhancement to the current and future mobility of our Armed Forces.
	The ability of the United Kingdom's Armed Forces to contribute to international peace and security has consistently been demonstrated throughout the period since 1997, most recently in peace support operations in Sierra Leone and in Afghanistan.

Morale

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how Army personnel when last questioned described the morale of (a) themselves, (b) their working group, (c) their unit and (d) the Army as a whole; how many people responded; what percentage responded to each option asked; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: On the basis of responses to a Continuous Attitude Survey (CAS) carried out in April/May 2002, the numbers of Army personnel expressing an opinion about their morale, that of their working group, that of their unit and that of the Army as a whole, are as given in the following Of 3,978 surveys issued, 1,867 (47 per cent.) completed forms had been returned at time of analysis.
	
		Morale of themselves:
		
			  Low Neither high nor low High  
		
		
			 Officers 36 10% 85 23% 245 67% 
			 Soldiers 247 16% 413 28% 826 56% 
		
	
	Note:
	99 per cent. (1,852) of those replying responded to this question.
	
		Morale of their working group:
		
			  Low Neither high nor low High  
		
		
			 Officers 40 11% 126 35% 196 54% 
			 Soldiers 358 24% 542 37% 585 39% 
		
	
	Note:
	99 per cent. (1,847) of those replying responded to this question.
	
		Morale of their unit:
		
			  Low Neither high nor low High  
		
		
			 Officers 58 16% 152 42% 153 42% 
			 Soldiers 461 31% 577 39% 434 30% 
		
	
	Note:
	98 per cent. (1,835) of those replying responded to this question.
	
		Morale of the Army:
		
			  Low Neither high nor low High  
		
		
			 Officers 88 25% 184 52% 83 23% 
			 Soldiers 499 36% 634 45% 273 19% 
		
	
	Note:
	94 per cent. (1,761) of those replying responded to this question.

NBC Equipment

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many NBC suits are (a) issued to personnel and (b) in stock; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are sufficient stocks of NEC suits to meet our contingency plans. I am withholding the information relating to the quantities held, under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Operation Fresco

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service people have been given warning orders for both Operation Fresco and possible operations in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 23 January 2003
	Over time it has been necessary to make adjustments to the forces allocated to Operation Fresco to ensure that those units that may be required for contingent operations elsewhere were available for duty. Most recently, elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade have been withdrawn from Operation Fresco in a phased manner as they have been assigned for potential future military action in Iraq. Consequently, there are no forces assigned concurrently to both Operation Fresco and possible operations in Iraq.

Redundant Weapons

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundant weapons there were in each year since 1997; and what the nature was of those weapons.

Adam Ingram: The information requested will take some time to compile, therefore I will write to the hon Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of theHouse.

Redundant Weapons

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how redundant weapons are disposed of.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence disposes of significant amounts of munitions annually for a variety of reasons including that they become unserviceable or surplus to requirements. The United Kingdom approved methods are by burning, detonation, dilution by solvent and chemical destruction. MOD employs the first two methods. Small quantities are disposed of in licensed demolition grounds on MOD property. Large quantities of ammunition are normally disposed of under civilian contract either in the UK or abroad.

Reservists' Pensions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the pensions rights of individuals in their main job are protected during periods of service as an armed forces reservist; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has arrangements in place to ensure that reservists who are called-out for permanent service with the armed forces are not disadvantaged in pension terms.
	Individuals may have a number of pension options dependent on their personal circumstances. Those individuals who wish to remain in their civilian pension scheme during their period of called-out service can do so and the MOD will meet the cost of the employer contribution to the pension scheme. Alternatively, individuals may opt to have the period of their called-out service covered by MOD's full time reserve service pension arrangements, or they can opt to be contracted-in to the state pension arrangements (state second pension). Those individuals who have previous service that gave them pension rights under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) may opt for an enhancement to their AFPS pension rights.

Royal Marines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the main current deployments of the Royal Marines.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave today to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch).

Royal Navy

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what modifications his Department has made to (a) Royal Naval and (b) Royal Marines tactical doctrine since 11 September 2001.

Adam Ingram: Following 11 September 2001 the increased danger from terrorist organisations to the Royal Navy (including the Royal Marines) has been recognised and work undertaken to ameliorate the risks to both deployed forces and those in their base port. Detailed Force Protection advice on countering the Asymmetric threat from terrorist attack is available in both Tactical and Reference publications and is the subject of continual assessment and periodic update as new information and feedback is obtained. This doctrine comprises both a generic description of likely threats and consideration of numerous measures that Commanding Officers need to consider adopting depending on their area of operations. The advice covers methods of reducing ship and personnel vulnerability to attack, enabling Commanding Officers to formulate a defensive posture commensurate with their operational state and location; reducing the risk of attack from an enemy who holds the advantage of surprise and method.
	When ashore, RM tactical doctrine follows Land (Army) tactical doctrine. Events since 11 September 2001 have not forced modifications to existing doctrine but lessons identified in operations since, by the Army and RM, are undergoing evaluation in order to capture them, as necessary.

Service Personnel (Gulf)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what contingency plans he has made to replace the troops on their way to the Gulf; which troops from which units and regiments would be used; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the maximum amount of time is that he estimates 30,000 soldiers could be maintained at a high level of readiness in the Gulf before rotating personnel.

Geoff Hoon: We continue to hope that Saddam Hussein will disarm voluntarily but it is evident that we will not persuade him to do so unless we present him with a clear and credible threat of force. No decision has been taken to commit British forces to military action, nor is such a decision inevitable or imminent. It is therefore premature to speculate about the duration of military deployments or about the rotation or replacement of those forces involved.

Shipping (Terrorists)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to protect (a) merchant and (b) naval shipping from terrorist attack.

Adam Ingram: The threat from terrorist attack is kept under constant review and the Ministry of Defence works closely with other Government Departments on the protection of merchant shipping. The Royal Navy's worldwide Maritime Trade Operations—known as UK MTO arrangements—enable a number of options to be offered in support of merchant shipping, graduated to the prevailing threat. These range from the provision of routine advice and guidance through to naval supervision. The appropriate level of MTO support required in a given area remains under constant assessment. For example, UK MTO arrangements in the Gulf have been enhanced since October 2001 by the establishment of a UK MTO liaison cell in the region. If necessary, higher level Maritime Trade Operations can be implemented very quickly. Information on specific measures to protect naval shipping were provided in my answer to the hon. Member on 15 January, Official Report, column 640W.

Turkey

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what numerical restrictions there are under the CFE Treaty on deployments of armed forces to Turkey.

Adam Ingram: The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty limits the numbers of conventional armaments and equipment in Europe in five categories:
	armoured combat vehicles
	artillery pieces
	combat aircraft, and
	attack helicopters.
	Numerical limits for the armaments and equipment apply within the area of application of the CFE treaty, which covers the entire land territory of the States Parties in Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains. In the case of the Republic of Turkey, an area in the south-east of Turkey bordering the non-CFE states of Syria, Iraq and Iran is excluded from the area of application.
	Furthermore, the Republic of Turkey lies within a specifically defined CFE zone, commonly known as the flank zone. Within this zone additional numerical limitations apply with regard to temporary deployments of conventional armaments and equipment. In the area of application of the CFE treaty these are:
	153 battle tanks
	241 armoured combat vehicles, and
	140 pieces of artillery.
	Deployments of combat aircraft and attack helicopters are not numerically limited, nor is the number of personnel. There are also no restrictions on naval forces under the CFE treaty.

UN Peacekeeping Missions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact on the operational effectiveness of British contingents in UN peacekeeping missions of the deployment of forces to the Gulf.

Adam Ingram: We do not expect the deployment forces to the Gulf to affect the operational effectiveness of British contingents in UN peacekeeping missions.

Urgent Operational Requirement Orders

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what orders in excess of £500,000 his Department has placed for urgent operational requirements in the last three months.

Adam Ingram: About 90 Urgent Operational Requirements for in excess of 500,000 have been approved in the last three months. These will, inter alia, accelerate already funded programmes, address many of the lessons identified in Exercise SAEF SAREEA II (including Challenger 2 and AS90 desertisation), enhance medical support, maximise interoperability with coalition allies and improve our secure communications capability.

Vaccines

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the take-up of anthrax vaccination among troops preparing to deploy to the Middle East.

Lewis Moonie: Immunisation against anthrax is just one component of the range of defensive capabilities available to our Armed Forces which protect them against, and enable them to respond to, chemical and biological threats. These include detectors, warning and reporting systems, physical protection including respirators, decontamination equipment and procedures, and other medical counter measures such as antibiotics. We have assembled a package of information and education materials which we hope will encourage Service personnel to take advantage of the additional protection that immunisation against anthrax provides. We are confident that the majority of personnel now deploying to the Gulf will opt to receive immunisations against anthrax, and expect take-up to improve further as the programme expands.

Wheeled Support Vehicles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what problems have arisen in the evaluation of the bids for the contract for the new wheeled support vehicles; how near these are to resolution; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: No problems have arisen, but evaluation of the tenders received in June 2002 for the Support Vehicle contract concluded that more information was needed on some aspects of the solution put forward by the bidders to enable a decision to be taken on which proposal represents best value for money. All four bidders have been invited to participate in a further round of tendering and responses are due on 22 January 2003. A further period of evaluation will then take place. An announcement on the award of a contract is planned for late 2003.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Benefit

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on child benefit for 16 to 19-year-olds in each year since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: Entitlement to child benefit between the ages of 16 and 18 is dependent on the child staying on in full-time education—up to and including GCE 'A' level or equivalent. Entitlement ceases when the child reaches 19 years of age or when the child leaves full-time education, if earlier.
	Estimated expenditure on child benefit, including the higher rate payable to some lone parents, for 16 to 18-year-olds since 1997 is as follows:
	
		Estimated child benefit expenditure (inc. lone parent addition) for 16 to 18-year-olds -- £ millions
		
			 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03  
		
		
			 750 780 960 1,020 (24)1,060 (25)1,100 
		
	
	(24) Estimated outturn
	(25) Plans
	Notes
	1. Because sample data have been used to obtain the age split the quoted figures are subject to sampling variability. The true figures are likely to lie in a range around those quoted.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million.
	Source:
	DSS/DWP accounts and sample administrative data

Final Salary Pension Schemes

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with business representatives concerning the provision of final salary pension schemes

Ian McCartney: My right hon Friend met with representatives of the Confederation of British Industry in September and November last year to discuss pensions.
	As part of the consultation exercise on the pensions Green Paper Simplicity, Security and Choice, my right. hon Friend and ministerial colleagues will be attending a number of events to which employer organisations are being invited.

Final Salary Pension Schemes

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of closing a final salary pension scheme upon a firm's financial risk.

Ian McCartney: When employers close their defined benefit schemes, they are seeking to put a limit on the long term liabilities of the company. Given the nature of these liabilities, however, closure is unlikely to have an immediate or even necessarily a short term impact. This is because the existing liabilities will still have to be met for the continuing life of the scheme irrespective of whether new members are being accepted. The Green Paper 'Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement' (Cm5677) sets out the Government's view that, for this and other reasons, closing or winding up pension schemes are not in the interests of either employers or employees. The Green Paper, therefore, sets out a range of proposals to simplify the regulatory regime for pensions, which could save employers £150 to £200 million a year in administration, and thus make it easier for employers to continue to provide final salary schemes and other types of pension arrangements for their employees. We have launched a wide ranging consultation in which we are seeking views on this approach including its impact on employers.

Final Salary Pension Schemes

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he is taking to strengthen the rights of employees in relation to final salary pension schemes.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to my written answer of 13 January 2003, Official Report, volume 397, columns 361–62W.

Final Salary Pension Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of proposals in the Pensions Green Paper on the rate of closure of final salary schemes.

Ian McCartney: The Green Paper 'Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement1 (Cm5677), published on 17 December 2002, sets out the Government's strategy to encourage and support employers providing and contributing to good quality pension schemes through provision of a regulatory framework. The Green Paper,, therefore, sets out a range of proposals to simplify the regulatory regime for pensions, which could save employers £150-£200 million a year in administration, and thus make it easier for employers to continue to provide final salary schemes and other types of pension arrangements for their employees. We have launched a wide ranging consultation in which we are seeking views on this approach including its impact on employers.

Guaranteed Minimum Pensions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of commuting all entitlements to guaranteed minimum pensions to entitlements to SERPS at the rate used to make such commutations in 1997.

Ian McCartney: This information is not currently available. However, relevant work on the costs of guaranteed minimum pensions is currently being undertaken as part of the follow-up to the Green Paper "Simplicity—Security and Choice: Working and saving for retirement" published (Cm5677) on 17 December 2002. I will place the information in the Library once this is available.

Automated Credit Transfer

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when each benefit will begin to be paid by automated credit transfer;
	(2)  in what sequence state retirement pensions will be transferred to payment by automated credit transfer.

Ian McCartney: For some time now the Department has been able to pay benefits into a bank or building society account.
	We have started to write to customers to request their account details as part of the move to direct payment. People will start to be paid this way rather than by paper-based methods from April 2003. We started with some Child Benefit and Veterans Agency customers, and will begin to contact people in receipt of Retirement Pension from the end of January.
	The conversion exercise will be completed by 2005.

Automated Credit Transfer

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the migration of each benefit case load to automated credit transfer will take place on a common date.

Malcolm Wicks: The conversion exercise from paper based methods of payment to direct payment into a bank or building society accounts will be phased. It began in October 2002 when we started to write out to some Veterans Agency and Child Benefit customers to request their account details. Payment into accounts will start from April 2003.
	Other benefits will be phased in from January this year and the whole exercise is due to be completed in 2005.

Automated Credit Transfer

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when automated credit transfer invitation letters will be sent out to each type of benefit recipient.

Malcolm Wicks: The first invitation letters were issued to some Veterans Agency and Child Benefit customers in October 2002. The first invitation letters for Retirement Pension will be issued later this month. The invitation process for customers in receipt of working age benefits will begin from March 2003. We will start to invite other benefit recipients from July 2003.

Benefit Fraud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on fraud in the payment of benefit through post offices; and what plans he has to protect against fraud when the post office card account is introduced.

Malcolm Wicks: Paper-based instruments of payment can be vulnerable to fraudulent attack in a number of ways: they can go astray in the post, be lost or stolen, or be manipulated or counterfeited by a determined fraudster. We estimate that total benefit and pension losses from paper-based instruments of payment fraud in 2000–01 were around £77 million.
	We have several measures in place to counter fraud, such as the Order Book Control System (OBCS). This makes use of barcode readers in post offices to scan order books that have been printed with a barcode on the front cover. OBCS alerts the post office clerk when a stop notice has been placed on an order book and instructs them to impound the book immediately. Crucially, the stop notice is activated in whatever post office the book is presented for payment and not only in the customer's designated post office. This helps to ensure that order books reported lost or stolen are not cashed, but instead impounded.
	Introducing direct payment into a bank, building society or post office card account as the normal method of benefit payment for the Department's customers will result in significant savings to public funds. It is a much more secure method of payment. Work is on-going to develop a more secure method of payment to replace existing order books and girocheques for those customers who cannot or choose not to be paid by direct payment.
	The post office card account is a Post Office product and detailed operational questions are the responsibility of the chief executive for the Post Office. However, the Department's officials will continue to work in close co-operation with the Post Office to ensure that the card account is as secure as possible.

Benefit Payments

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what instructions he has given to his staff who are dealing with the programme for migrating benefit payments from order book to direct bank credit, for responding to benefit recipients who express a wish to receive payment in cash via a Post Office card account.

Malcolm Wicks: All DWP staff who deal with customers will receive training about Direct Payment. This will highlight to staff the options that are available to customers who are transferring from a girocheque or order book to payment into an account. This will include the option to have payments made into a Post Office card account which can be collected from a Post Office branch.

Benefits (Direct Payment)

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with (a) postmasters and (b) the National Federation of Sub-postmasters on the introduction of direct payment of benefits into bank accounts.

Malcolm Wicks: Department of Trade and Industry Ministers meet the National Federation of Sub-postmasters (NFSP) on a regular basis. Officials from this Department and the Department of Trade and Industry also meet with the NFSP. The Post Office meet with individual postmasters to discuss the move to Direct Payment.

Benefits Agency (Fraud)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Benefits Agency staff have been found to have committed fraud in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: The figures are an extract from the Departmental annual returns to HM Treasury on internal fraud, and show the number of Benefits Agency staff that have been found to have committed fraud in each year since 1997.
	A breakdown by agency for 1997–98 is not available, and the figure given is the total for the then Department of Social Security.
	
		Benefits agency staff that have been found to have committed fraud in each year since 1997
		
			  Total DSS figure 
		
		
			 1997–98 189 
			 1998–99 112 
			 1999–2000 139 
			 2000–01 65 
			 2001–02 128 
		
	
	Although technically defined as fraud cases for HM Treasury reporting purposes, many of the cases above involve little or no financial loss e.g. unauthorised use of software, or trading on official premises.
	While these types of case are treated seriously, and disciplinary action inevitably follows, each case is treated individually and penalties therefore vary considerably, from an oral warning to dismissal, prosecution and custodial sentencing.

Cash Savings

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list for each year since 1997 his estimate of the average cash savings held by families on low incomes.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available. The Department's Family Resources Survey provides information on savings, however data are not available for average amounts of savings because this information is not collected for all respondents.

Child Care Costs

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the basis is for his policy that a couple who are both in receipt of benefits where one receives invalidity or incapacity benefit and the other jobseeker allowance, are not eligible for child care costs when the parent on jobseeker allowance joins the Government New Deal and Training for Work programmes.

Nick Brown: The Department does not have a policy to refuse help with child care for a couple who are both in receipt of benefits, one on incapacity benefits and the other on jobseeker's allowance, when the latter joins the New Deal. The child care arrangements for people in these circumstances are as follows.
	Within the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus programmes, child care costs can be met where there is a genuine need and the individual would otherwise be unable to participate in a New Deal option or Intensive Activity Period. New Deal Personal Advisers decide on a person's eligibility for help with child care costs based on that individual's particular circumstances.
	Under New Deal 50 plus, a person starting work receives financial support through 52 weekly payments (Employment Credit) to help them during the transitional period between benefit and work. It is up to the individual whether they use this money to help meet child care costs.
	Jobseekers in Scotland may also be entitled to child care costs when applying for Training for Work. The Training for Work programme is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive. It is delivered by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise who have discretion to fund child care costs for participants.

Child Poverty

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will list for each year since 1997 the change in (a) numbers and (b) percentage of those children taken out of poverty;
	(2)  if he will list for each year since 1992 the percentage of children living in households below the poverty line.

Malcolm Wicks: Poverty is a complex and multi-dimensional problem. We published 'Opportunity for all—Fourth Annual Report' (Cm 5598) in September 2002, which contains information on a range of indicators of poverty for children and young people.
	We expect to publish the preliminary conclusions of our consultation on Measuring Child Poverty in spring 2003.

Child Support

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to evaluate the outcomes of the child support reforms IT system testing.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Mr. Duncan) on 27 November 2002, Official Report, column 317 W.

Child Support Agency

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many CSA cases were referred to the Independent Case Examiner in the last year; what the average time taken to determine each case; what and how many complaints were upheld.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.
	Further information is available in the Independent Case Examiner's Annual Report for 2001–02, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	
		April 2001-March 2002
		
			 Complaints Number 
		
		
			 Complaints received 1,498 
			 Accepted for examination 772 
			 Resolved 424 
			   
			 Areas of complaint (per cent.)  
			 Delay 17.1 
			 Error 7.0 
			 Enforcement 4.6 
			 Communication 23.6 
			 Failure to take action 29.1 
			 Staff bias/attitude 3.9 
			 Compensation 6.8 
			 Other 8.0 
			   
			 Average clearance time (weeks) 32.28 
			   
			 Findings  
			 Fully upheld 46 
			 Partially upheld 141 
			 Not upheld 26 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Complaints are only classified as fully, partially or not upheld if they cannot be resolved through conciliation between the client and the Child Support Agency.
	2. It may be of interest for you to know that we are advised by the Agency that at the end of November 2002, the Agency's live and assessed caseload was 1,088,920.
	3. Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.

Child Support Agency

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if it is his intention to transfer the existing Child Support Agency caseload onto the new scheme on a single common date.

Malcolm Wicks: Current plans envisage that existing cases will be converted to the new scheme on a common date. Where it emerges that a new application for child support maintenance is linked to an existing case, for example, because the non-resident parent is the same person in both cases, then the existing case will be transferred to the new scheme early.

Clergy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect changes proposed in the recent Green Paper on retirement would have on the retirement age of clergy.

Stuart Bell: I have been asked to reply.
	Currently the majority of Church of England clergy must retire on reaching 70, under the Ecclesiastical Offices (Age Limit) Measure 1975. Since the Government is still consulting on how the Employment Directive—to which Chapter 6 of the Green Paper refers—should be implemented as regards discrimination on grounds of age, it is not yet possible to say what its effect will be and whether changes will be required to the 1975 Measure.
	However, since most clergy choose to retire before reaching 70, I do not envisage significant effect in practice on the retirement age of clergy.

Computers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer, ref. 88450, on the cost of new PCs installed in his Department, if he will provide a breakdown of the figure of £156.7 million into the cost of the (a) machines, (b) software and (c) network; how many machines were installed; what the average cost of each machine was; and if he will provide a breakdown of the figure of £58.5 million for installation costs, indicating what services were provided in relation to the installation of the machines.

Ian McCartney: By 30 November 2002 the Department for Work and Pensions had installed 100,120 workstations (desktops and laptops) along with the associated software, smart card readers, printers, servers and switches.
	The £156.7 million capital expenditure up to 30 November 2002 is broken down as follows.
	
		
			  £ million  
		
		
			 Desktops 85.2 
			 Laptops 7.5 
			 Printers 11.1 
			 Software 18.2 
			 Servers 24.0 
			 Network Switches 10.7 
		
	
	The cost of a desktop workstation (including base unit, monitor, and keyboard) has been negotiated down from £838 to £804 during the course of rollout. The specification has also improved with each bulk order.
	The £58.5 million installation costs are covered by two contracts with suppliers. The detailed breakdown of costs is commercially sensitive information which could enable suppliers to gain an advantage in pricing negotiations. Such information is not disclosed under part 2, paragraph 13 of the Code of Practice an Access to Government Information. However, the services provided are delivery, on-site allocation and testing, disposal and warehousing, implementation management, ordering, work scheduling, planning, central support, migration of data, network connection, on-site management and problem resolution.

Departmental Assets

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by his Department since May 1997; and if he will list such assets; and if he will estimate the total sales proceeds.

Ian McCartney: No sales of heritage or antique assets have been made by the Department for Work and Pensions since May 1997.

Disability Living Allowance

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaf people were provided with a qualified British Sign Language interpreter when attending a medical assessment for disability living allowance in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 23 January 2003
	The information requested is not available. SchlumbergerSema Medical Services do not keep records of the numbers of requests made for a Sign Language interpreter to attend at medical assessments. All customers are informed of the availability of interpreter services on request.

Disability Living Allowance

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance awards have been made for which deafness is the main disability condition, broken down by (a) age and (b) type of award, including (i) care only component, (ii) mobility only component and (iii) combined care and mobility components.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 23 January 2003
	The information requested is detailed in the table.
	
		Number of DLA recipients where the main disabling condition was deafness or deaf and blind, by age and component as at 31 May 2002 -- Thousands
		
			   Higher care and  Higher care only Middle care and Middle care only Lower care and Lower care only Mobility  
			  All Higher mobility Lower mobility  Higher mobility Lower mobility  Higher mobility Lower mobility  Higher Lower 
		
		
			 All 28.5 0.6 (26)0.3 (26)0.2 0.7 9.7 8.1 (26)0.3 2.7 3.4 (26)0.4 2.0 
			 0–4 1.3 — — (26)0.1 — — 1.1 — — — — — 
			 5–15 7.9 (26)0.2 (26)0.3 (26)0.1 (26)0.1 4.2 2.2 — (26)0.2 (26)0.2 — (26)0.4 
			 16–24 4.0 — — — — 1.8 0.9 — (26)0.4 (26)0.3 — (26)0.4 
			 25–29 1.4 — — — — (26)0.4 (26)0.4 — (26)0.2 (26)0.2 (26)0.1 (26)0.1 
			 30–34 2.0 — — — (26)0.1 0.6 0.6 — (26)0.1 (26)0.4 — (26)0.1 
			 35–39 2.5 (26)0.1 — — (26)0.1 0.6 0.8 — (26)0.4 (26)0.4 — (26)0.2 
			 40–44 2.1 — — — (26)0.1 0.5 0.5 — (26)0.4 0.5 — — 
			 45–49 1.3 — — — — (26)0.2 0.5 — (26)0.1 (26)0.2 — (26)0.2 
			 50–54 1.4 — — — (26)0.1 (26)0.3 (26)0.2 — (26)0.2 (26)0.4 — (26)0.2 
			 55–59 1.8 — — — (26)0.1 (26)0.5 (26)0.4 — (26)0.3 (26)0.3 (26)0.1 (26)0.1 
			 60–64 1.5 — — — (26)0.1 (26)0.4 (26)0.3 (26)0.1 (26)0.2 (26)0.2 (26)0.1 (26)0.1 
			 65+ 1.3 (26)0.1 — — (26)0.1 (26)0.2 (26)0.2 (26)0.1 (26)0.1 (26)0.2 (26)0.1 (26)0.2 
		
	
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample.

Disability Living Allowance

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance applications by people whose main disabling condition is deafness were refused at (a) initial application, (b) reconsideration and (c) aural tribunal in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 23 January 2003
	Information regarding applications which have been refused is not readily available by disabling condition and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre.

Disability Living Allowance

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance awards there were to (a) disabled people and (b) people whose main disabling condition is deafness in each year since 1997; and how many of these were granted at (i) initial application, (ii) reconsideration and (iii) aural tribunal, in (A) England, (B) Wales and (C) Scotland.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 23 January 2003
	The available information is set out in the tables. Figures for reconsideration are not available by disability or by region. We are currently unable to supply statistically reliable information on those successful at appeal.
	
		Number of Disability Living Allowance awards to disabled people in general in England, Scotland and Wales since 1997 -- Thousand
		
			  All England Scotland Wales 
		
		
			 1996–97 287.5 233.0 30.6 23.8 
			 1997–98 248.0 202.4 26.5 19.1 
			 1998–99 215.5 177.4 23.0 15.1 
			 1999–2000 217.4 176.8 24.5 16.2 
			 2000–01 254.0 208.8 28.0 17.1 
			 2000–02 252.8 205.3 29.0 18.5 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample (1 June–31May each year).
	
		Number of Disability Living Allowance awards where the main disabling condition is deafness or deaf and blind in England, Scotland and Wales since 1997 -- Thousand
		
			  All England Scotland Wales 
		
		
			 1996–97 3.0 2.4 (26)0.3 (26)0.2 
			 1997–98 4.5 4.0 (26)0.3 (26)0.2 
			 1998–99 3.5 3.1 (26)0.2 (26)0.2 
			 1999–2000 3.1 2.8 (26)0.2 (26)0.1 
			 2000–01 3.0 2.6 (26)0.3 (26)0.2 
			 2001–02 2.8 2.3 (26)0.3 (26)0.2 
		
	
	(26) Less than 500 and subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
	Note:
	Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample (1 June–31 May each year)
	
		Number of Disability Living Allowance awards granted on initial application in England, Scotland and Wales since 1997 -- Thousand
		
			  All England Scotland Wales 
		
		
			 1996–97 234.0 191.9 22.9 19.2 
			 1997–98 198.4 163.9 19.0 15.5 
			 1998–99 173.5 144.6 16.7 12.2 
			 1999/2000 178.3 146.2 18.8 13.4 
			 2000–01 207.7 173.3 20.8 13.6 
			 2001–02 210.1 173.1 21.5 15.5 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample (1 June–31 May each year).
	
		Number of Disability Living Allowance awards granted on initial application where the main disabling condition is deafness or deaf and blind in England, Scotland and Wales since 1997 -- Thousand
		
			  All England Scotland Wales 
		
		
			 1996–97 1.7 1.4 (27)0.1 (27)0.1 
			 1997–98 2.3 2.1 (27)0.1 (27)0.1 
			 1998–99 1.8 1.6 (28)— (27)0.1 
			 1999–2000 2.0 1.8 (27)0.1 (27)0.1 
			 2000–01 2.0 1.8 (27)0.1 (27)0.1 
			 2001–02 1.9 1.6 (27)0.2 (27)0.1 
		
	
	(27) Less than 500 and subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
	(28) Nil or negligible.
	Note:
	Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent sample (1 June–31 May each year).
	
		Number of Disability Living Allowance awards successful on reconsideration in Great Britain since 1997
		
			  All 
		
		
			 1996–97 68,710 
			 1997–98 65,950 
			 1998–99 51,650 
			 1999–2000 42,755 
			 2000–01 33,895 
			 2001–02 30,960 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, data taken from 100 per cent. monthly MIS data (1 June-31 May each year).
	Successful includes awards which were increased and awards which were allowed.

Disability Living Allowance (Deaf Recipients)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance recipients, whose main disabling condition is deafness, are aged between (a) 0 to 16 years and (b) 16 to 64 years and live in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	Number of recipients of disability living allowance aged under 16 and 16 to 64 whose main disabling condition is deafness or deaf and blind at 31 August 2002.
	
		Thousands 
		
			  England Wales Scotland  
		
		
			 0–15 7.9 0.6 0.6 
			 16–64 15.6 1.0 1.8 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample as at 31 August 2002.

Disability Living Allowance (Fraud)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what investigations were (a) undertaken and (b) completed in 2002 into fraud in disability living allowance claims.

Malcolm Wicks: During 2001–02, a total of 2,021 disability living allowance benefit fraud cases were investigated, and of these, 1,172 resulted in identification of an overpayment. In addition, a total of 404 disability living allowance instrument of payment fraud cases were investigated, and of these, 229 resulted in identification of an overpayment.
	Source:
	Disability and Carers' Benefit Unit management information.

Disability Living Allowance (Fraud)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his assessment is of the level of fraud and the amount of money defrauded in disability living allowance in 2002.

Malcolm Wicks: The most recent assessment of the level of fraud in disability living allowance found confirmed fraud in 1.5 per cent. of cases. This equates to approximately £78 million per year.
	Source:
	National Benefit Review of Disability Living Allowance, published February 1997.

European Year of Disabled People

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many regional and local projects to be funded as part of the European Year of Disabled People are based in (a) the Scottish Borders and (b) Scotland.

Maria Eagle: Of the 171 projects in the UK, 22 are based in Scotland. There are no projects based in the Scottish Borders but three of the 22 projects cover the whole of Scotland and will therefore benefit the Scottish Borders.

Fair Trade Criteria

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what fair trade criteria he sets when deciding upon what suppliers to use.

Nick Brown: I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary on 9 December 2002, Official Report, column 92W, which sets out the-Government-wide position.
	The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to fair trade and ethical supply routes. There are no prescribed fair trade criteria, and each contract is considered individually on its merits in line with EC procurement regulations and Government policy regarding value for money. However, our supply policy is that supply decisions must be based on a balanced assessment of benefits which must include value for money and ethical issues across the whole supply chain. This policy allows individual procurement exercises to set the right criteria, including fair trade criteria, that are appropriate to the business requirement and the commodity or service being procured.

Income Support

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in receipt of income support have full refugee status;
	(2)  how many non-UK citizens who have been granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom are in receipt of income support;
	(3)  how many non-UK citizens are in receipt of income support by reason of their status of having suffered a recent upheaval in their country.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
	Nationals from a country which my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, has declared a "country of upheaval" may claim asylum in this country. Asylum seekers no longer have access to income-related benefits, such as Income Support, as the National Asylum Support Service now deals with any claim for financial support.

Minimum Income Guarantee

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons have claimed the minimum income guarantee in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in each year since 1997.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available relates to the number of people receiving Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) and is shown in the table.
	
		Minimum Income Guarantee: number of people receiving MIG as at August each year from 1997 to 2002
		
			  County of Shropshire Parliamentary constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham 
		
		
			 1997 7,900 2,900 
			 1998 7,700 2,800 
			 1999 7,600 2,800 
			 2000 7,400 2,700 
			 2001 7,800 2,900 
			 2002 8,100 2,700

Minimum Income Guarantee (Pensioners)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners have benefited from the minimum income guarantee in (a) Coventry and (b) West Midlands.

Ian McCartney: As at August 2002 there were 13,700 people benefiting from the Minimum Income Guarantee in Coventry and 219,800 in the West Midlands region.
	Source: Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, August 2002

New Deal

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what number and proportion of those on each option of the New Deal for Young People and for those aged over 25 years went into a sustained job, in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Nick Brown: The information is in the tables.
	
		New Deal for young people (from January 1998 to September 2002)
		
			 Stage of leaving Number of people leaving the New Deal Number who left New Deal for a sustained, unsubsidised job(29) Proportion of leavers who moved into a sustained, unsubsidised job (per cent.) 
		
		
			  
			 From the gateway 429,500 187,400 43.6 
			 After entering each option:
			 Subsidised employment 58,800 28,600 48.6 
			 Full-time education and training 100,500 31,000 30.8 
			 Voluntary sector 58,700 18,900 32.2 
			 Environment Task Force 56,700 17,400 30.7 
		
	
	In addition to these job outcomes, we know from survey findings that around 56 per cent.of young people who leave the New Deal for unknown destinations do, in fact, find work.
	
		Pre-April 2001 New Deal 25 plus (from July 1998 to September 2002)
		
			 Stage of leaving Number of people leaving the New Deal Number who left New Deal for a sustained, unsubsidised job(29) Proportion of leavers who moved into a sustained, unsubsidised job (per cent.) 
		
		
			  
			 From gateway 304,800 42,200 13,8 
			 After entering each option:
			 Subsidised employment 16 900 1 800 10.7 
			 Full-time education and training 7,400 1,100 14.9 
			 Work based learning for adults 23.100 2,500 10.8 
		
	
	In April 2001, New Deal 25 plus was extended and enhanced to provide a flexible, more individually-tailored service to help more people get jobs and remain in them. This included the introduction of an Intensive Activity Period (IAP) for participants after an initial Gateway period. The IAP provides a wider package of tailored help, which might combine, for example, work experience, work-focused training, help with motivation and soft skills, and help with job search. From April 2001, all those eligible for New Deal 25 plus joined this re-engineered programme.
	
		Re-engineered New Deal 25 plus (from April 2001 to September 2002)
		
			 Stage of leaving Number of people leaving the New Deal Number who left New Deal for a sustained, unsubsidised job(29) Proportion of leavers who moved into a sustained, unsubsidised job (per cent.) 
		
		
			  
			 From gateway 82.100 24.900 30.3 
			 After entering each option:
			 Subsidised employment 5,600 700 12.5 
			 Basic employability training 4.300 800 18.6 
			 Self employment 1,500 500 33.3 
			 Education/Training opportunity 700 200 28.6 
			 Work experience 8,500 1,900 22.4 
			 Intensive activity period training 9.300 2.100 22.6 
			 Other (includes training for work) 200 40 20.0 
		
	
	(29) Sustained employment is when a client has not returned to claim JSA within 13 weeks of leaving the programme.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database

Occupational Pension Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the changes to the priority order for winding up occupational pensions proposed in his Pensions Green Paper will apply retrospectively.

Ian McCartney: Changing the priority order would increase protection on winding up for some scheme members but others would receive less. This being the case, we do not currently propose to introduce regulations on a retrospective basis because, for some, this would mean reducing pension already promised or in payment.
	However, this is a difficult and complex area and we will look very carefully at it during the consultation on the Pensions Green Paper.

Payments Programme

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the results of the recent review of the modernisation of the payments programme.

Malcolm Wicks: The gated review process within the Department allows for a number of formal reviews. The Payment Modernisation Programme successfully navigated through the Operational Readiness Review approval gateway during September and October.
	This enabled the Programme to commence the first phase in the move towards Direct Payment, including mailings sent to Veterans Agency customers from 7 October and Child Benefit customers from 28 October 2002.

Pensions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the change as a percentage of gross domestic product in spending on pensions necessary to bring the average pension in the United Kingdom in line with that in (a) the Netherlands, (b) the USA, (c) Australia, (d) Japan, (e) Italy, (f) Germany, (g) France, (h) Sweden and (i) the average in the EU.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information that is available is set out in the following table.
	Comparable cross-country data on public and private pensions expenditure are available only for European Union countries. According to data produced by Eurostat, the highest rate of old-age pension expenditure per capita is in the UK.
	
		Expenditure on old age pensions at 1995 constant prices (index of EU average 1990=100) per head (population over 65)
		
			  1999 
		
		
			 France 111 
			 Germany 102 
			 Italy 113 
			 Netherlands 108 
			 Sweden — 
			 UK 134 
			 EU-15 114 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Production of comparable cross-country estimates is extremely difficult due to substantially different rules in various countries. Eurostat say about their numbers:
	"This indicator is not perfect. Old-age pensions may cover different areas in different countries, and the retirement age differs from country to country (for both the legal age and the effective age)."
	However, Eurostat's: "European Social Statistics—Social Protection Expenditure and Receipts" (ESSPROS) is regarded as the best available measure.
	2. The definition of pensions in the ESSPROS methodology includes basic and supplementary schemes, sometimes known as first-pillar and second pillar schemes, but excludes third-pillar arrangements, for example personal pensions in the UK. The ESSPROS pensions aggregate comprises of only part of periodic cash benefits under the disability, old-age, survivors and unemployment functions in ESSPROS.
	3. In the case of the UK, the pensions aggregate recorded in ESSPROS comprises of benefits payable under the disability, old-age and survivors' functions and occupational pensions. It excludes lump-sum benefits payable on retirement (approximately 0.7 per cent. of GDP in 1999). Personal pensions are also not included in the ESSPROS social protection definition of pensions (approximately 1.5 per cent. of GDP in 1999).
	4. Data are not available for Sweden.
	Source:
	Eurostat-ESSPROS, Statistics in Focus, June 2002, ISSN 1024–4352 www.europa.eu.int

Post Office Card Accounts

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information the Government's public information campaign on the payment and banking options available for benefit customers has disseminated, with particular reference to the personal invitation documents for the Post Office card account.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government's information campaign, to support the move to Direct Payment, provides customers with factual information on the banking options available to them, including information on the Post Office card account. The information is presented in a way that enables customers to decide which option is best for their individual circumstances. Customers who want to open a Post Office card account are advised to contact the Department for Work and Pensions, who will issue them with a personal invitation document.

Prosecuting and Charging Standards

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the code for prosecutors and charging standards used by his Department when acting as a prosecuting authority.

Nick Brown: Departmental officials follow the Code for Crown Prosecutors when taking the decision to prosecute and deciding what charges should be brought. The code is issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions under section 10 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, and a copy is available in the Library.

Public-private Partnerships

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departmental Minutes issued by his Department were outstanding on 30 November 2002 that referred to public-private partnerships, as included in Table B14 of the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts; and what their value was.

Nick Brown: holding answer 13 January 2003
	There were no departmental Minutes outstanding on 30 November 2002 that refer to public-private partnerships, as included in Table B14 of the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts.

Racial Harassment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what rights victims of alleged racial harassment in the workplace have to paid legal representation in employment tribunals.

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	Generally, legal representation in employment tribunal proceedings in England and Wales is excluded from the scope of public funding, though funding for general legal advice falling short of advocacy is available under the Legal Help Scheme. However the Lord Chancellor has the power under Section 6(8)(b) of the Access to Justice Act 1999 to authorise funding in exceptional cases where the Legal Services Commission asks him to do so. In Scotland representation before an employment tribunal is available to anyone who meets the statutory tests for Assistance by Way of Representation (ABWOR). ABWOR allows a solicitor to appear on behalf of a client before the Tribunal.
	In addition, under section 66 of the Race Relations Act (RRA) 1976, the Commission for Racial Equality has discretion to provide paid legal representation.

Same-sex Couples

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate has been made of the number of same-sex couples in long-term relationships living together who are currently treated as separate households for the purpose of state pension and other benefits;
	(2)  for which benefits heterosexual unmarried couples living together as husband and wife are treated as a couple when same-sex couples are treated as individuals; and for each of these benefits what estimate he has made (a) of the cost of treating same-sex couples as individuals and (b) the savings made by not treating such heterosexual couples as individuals.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 16 January 2003
	There is very little information about same-sex couples in this country. The Labour Force Survey suggests that there are about 50,000 cohabiting same-sex couples in the UK. Around one in twenty of the individuals in these couples say they are claiming income related benefits or tax credits. There appear to be very few who are pensioners. Same sex couples are treated as individuals for the purposes of determining entitlement to income related benefits.
	We already treat same sex couples as individuals for the purpose of determining entitlement to income related benefits. Any estimate of the savings made from treating unmarried heterosexual couples as couples rather than as individuals would depend on assumptions about, for example, the number of individuals who would otherwise choose to claim benefit and about whether benefit would be paid for their children.
	Notes:
	a. Information is taken from the Labour Force Survey, spring 2002 and the Family Resources Survey 2001–02. However, they are very likely to under record the extent of same sex partnerships. In addition they will not necessarily capture all benefit recipients.
	b. Definition of benefits includes all unemployment related benefits, including JSA (IB), IS, family related benefits or tax credits and housing or council tax benefit.
	c. There are very few pensioners recorded in the Family Resources Survey as being in same sex couples.
	d. Estimated costs are based on the information in the Labour Force Survey and assumes that the proportion of working age individuals receiving benefit is the same for those in same-sex couples as in the wider population.

Standard Housing Allowance Pilot

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of his standard housing allowance pilot in each of the next five financial years, identifying separately the cost of the evaluation of the pilots; and if he will estimate the eventual cost of the scheme if it were to apply to (a) all private rented accommodation nationwide and (b) all private or social rented accommodation nationwide.

Malcolm Wicks: Ten local authorities have been invited to be pathfinders for the standard local housing allowance pilot. We estimate that the pilot will cost around £20 million per year in additional benefit spending. Evaluation will cost around £2 million over the course of the project. We will be in a position to quantify the cost of supporting the pathfinder authorities in setting up and administering the scheme once all of the details of the pilot are worked out.
	The cost of a nationwide scheme for the private rented sector would depend on the design of the scheme, which will be informed by the results from the pathfinders. We cannot, therefore, estimate the potential cost at this time.
	It is not possible to estimate the cost of a housing allowance for social rented accommodation, which would have to be designed along different lines from the private rented sector pilot.

Targeting Fraud Campaign

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means he assesses the effectiveness of the Targeting Fraud advertising campaign; and what his assessment is of its effectiveness.

Malcolm Wicks: The effectiveness of the Targeting Fraud advertising campaign is subject to a full evaluation after each major phase. In October 2001, a copy of the summary of the evaluation of the March 2001 burst of the Targeting Fraud campaign was placed in the Library. Evaluation shows that public attitudes are moving in a positive direction as a result of the campaign.

Tenancies

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in (a) private regulated tenancies and (b) private deregulated tenancies there were in each English region in each year since 1996.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The private rented sector is now only some 10 per cent. of the whole housing market, and regulated tenancies have become only a small part of the private rented sector. This means that even though the Survey of English Housing is a large survey, the sample of regulated private tenancies is not large enough to allow reliable figures to be produced for individual regions and for individual years. Tabled is the estimated annual average number of regulated and deregulated tenancies for the period 1998–99 to 2001–02 for London, and for broad regional groupings. Annual estimates of regulated and deregulated tenancies in England are also shown from 1996–97 to 2001–02. There is no reason to expect that the trends in individual regions have been significantly different from those for England as a whole.
	
		Regulated and deregulated(30) private tenancies -- Thousands
		
			  Regulated Deregulated 
		
		
			  Regional grouping: annual average (1998–99 to 2001–02) 
			 North(31) 39 402 
			 Midlands(32) 22 222 
			 South(33) except London 50 546 
			 London 34 330 
			 England 145 1,499 
			  
			 England: annual series 
			 1996–97 242 1,406 
			 1997–98 205 1,486 
			 1998–99 189 1,477 
			 1999–2000 154 1,517 
			 2001–01 122 1,434 
			 2001–02 120 1,511 
		
	
	(30) Assured and assured short hold tenancies.
	(31) North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber.
	(32) East Midlands, West Midlands.
	(33) East, South East, South West.
	Source
	Survey of English Housing, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Winter Fuel Allowance

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people over 60 qualify for the £200 Winter Fuel Allowance in Telford.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. Most, but not all, people aged 60 and over are eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment. The vast majority of those eligible receive their payment automatically, without the need to claim. Of those who need to claim, it is up to the individual to choose whether to do so.
	However, for winter 2001–02, payments of £200 were made to some 6,500 people living in Telford.
	Note
	Figure is rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source
	Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuels Payment 2001–02.

HEALTH

ACT

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research regarding changes to corporate investment behaviour consequential to the changes to ACT announced in the 1997 Budget has been (a) carried out and (b) commissioned by his Department.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The abolition of ACT was part of a package of measures introduced over the period 1997 to 1999 aimed at creating an improved climate for long term investment. Subsequent tax changes have also been designed to promote enterprise and encourage economic growth. There are practical difficulties in assessing the impact of these changes, and in any case, it does not make sense to evaluate the impact of one part of this series of measures in isolation.

Acute Beds

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of occupancy of (a) general and (b) acute beds in the NHS is.

John Hutton: The average occupancy of beds in general and acute wards in 2001–02 was 86 per cent. This information is published annually on the Department's website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity.

Acute Hospital Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the strategic reviews into the provision of acute hospital services that are taking place in the NHS in England; and when those reviews are due for completion.

John Hutton: All strategic health authorities are in the process of developing local delivery plans for the next three years. These will show systematically how improvements will be made locally to deliver the increases in capacity and quality set out in the priorities and planning framework 2003–06 and will include acute hospital services.
	Plans are due to be submitted to the Department by the end of March 2003.

Acute Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the changes to working patterns resulting from the Agenda for Change settlement will take effect in acute hospitals.

John Hutton: Subject to the outcome of staff side consultation, the new national health service pay system is expected to be introduced in 'early implementer' sites, including some acute hospitals, in June 2003 and will be implemented across the rest of the NHS from October 2004. The new pay system will give NHS organisations much greater flexibility to design jobs and working practices around the needs of NHS patients both in the short term following implementation and on an ongoing basis in the future.

Ambulance Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the diversion policies operated by ambulance services.

David Lammy: National health service ambulance services will decide to which accident and emergency department they will take a patient depending on the local circumstances prevailing at the time. They will use local information to make that decision.

Anit-smoking Campaigns

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that forthcoming public information anti-smoking campaigns will raise awareness of the link between smoking and stroke; and what targets have been set to reduce the number of stroke deaths caused by smoking.

Hazel Blears: The Department's current television advertising campaign is based on testimonials in which real people describe the effects of their illnesses and their feelings about having smoked.
	Since January 2002, one of the testimonials we are showing has featured a 38-year-old man who describes how his life has been devastated by a series of smoking related strokes.
	One of the warnings required to appear on cigarette packets in accordance with the Tobacco Products (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale) (Safety) Regulations 2002 warns that, "Smoking clogs the arteries and causes heart attacks and strokes".
	Although no specific targets have been set for stroke deaths, we have a series of smoking prevalence targets. By reducing the overall level of smoking we will tackle all smoking related illness, including strokes. My officials have recently met with the Stroke Association to examine what more can be done to raise awareness of the risks of smoking related strokes.

Body Piercing

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce legislation to prohibit body piercing of minors without their parents' or guardians' consent; if he will list the statutory provisions which cover the body piercing of minors.

Hazel Blears: The Government have no current plans to introduce legislation to make the body piercing of minors without their parents' or guardians' consent a criminal offence, as this might lead to them piercing themselves or each other in an unsafe and unhygienic manner or to going to disreputable businesses. We keep the position under review.
	There are no statutory provisions relating specifically to the cosmetic body piercing of minors. The following statutory provisions are relevant to the regulation of cosmetic body piercing businesses:
	London Local Authorities Act 2000
	London Local Authorities Act 1995
	London Local Authorities Act 1991
	Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 (relates to ear piercing)
	Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1981
	In general, body piercing organisations and local authorities take the good practice view that children, either under 16 or under 18 years of age (depending on viewpoint), should not have body piercing without parental consent. However, practice by individual businesses may vary.

Body Piercing

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the need for further regulation of body piercing; what plans he has for the further regulation of body piercing; and what recent consultations the Government have had with local authorities concerning the body piercing of minors.

Hazel Blears: Since January 2002, we have received a small number of representations about the regulation of body piercing businesses.
	We intend to introduce primary legislation to give local authorities outside London specific powers to regulate cosmetic body piercing business, when parliamentary time allows.
	We have had no recent consultations with local authorities about the cosmetic body piercing of minors.

Cancelled Operations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancelled operations there were at each NHS hospital in each of the past four quarters.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave him on Wednesday 15 January 2003, Official Report, at column 676W.

Child Offenders

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have (a) been convicted, (b) been in the care of a local authority for a year or more, (c) received a reprimand and (d) received a final warning, in each year since 1997.

John Denham: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is contained in the tables.
	
		Number of 10 to 17 years cautioned, given final warnings or reprimands, and found guilty of all offences at all courts 1997 to 2001(34) -- Number
		
			  Cautioned Given final warning Reprimanded Found guilty 
		
		
			  England and Wales 
			 1997 104,520 —(35) —(35) 79,151 
			 1998 109,725 —(35) —(35) 86,506 
			 1999 103,978 —(35) —(35) 90,280 
			 2000(36) 36,764 42,773 18,004 91,423 
			 2001 —(35) 66,538 31,504 95,530 
		
	
	(34) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(35) Not applicable.
	(36) Final warnings and reprimands were implemented nationally from 1 June 2000.
	
		Children who ceased to be looked after by local authorities during the years ending 31 March 1997 to 2001 -- Number
		
			  Number of children Of which looked after for 1 year or more 
		
		
			 England 
			 1997 30,300 9,700 
			 1998 29,000 9,600 
			 1999 27,100 8,500 
			 2000 26,800 10,100 
			 2001 25,100 10,700 
		
	
	Source
	Department of Health

Child Organs

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure that families of children whose organs were retained without their consent receive compensation on a consistent basis across the country, regardless of which hospital was involved; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The NHS Litigation Authority is dealing with the retained organs litigation action and negotiations are subject to a confidentiality agreement between all parties. Both the Liverpool and nationwide group actions will be dealt with on their legal merits and any settlement will reflect this principle.

Children (Mental Health Problems)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his assessment of the risk factors increasing the likelihood of mental health problems in children;
	(2)  if he will list for each year since 1997 the percentage of children who were diagnosed as suffering from each category of mental disorder.

Jacqui Smith: A survey of the mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain was carried out in 1999 by the Office for National Statistics on behalf of the Department of Health, Scottish National Executive and National Assembly for Wales. Prevalence rates were produced for five to 15-year-olds in the three main categories of mental disorder; ie, conduct disorder, hyperactivity and emotional disorder.
	The key findings on prevalence were that:
	about 10 per cent. of children aged five to 15 in Great Britain had a mental disorder in 1999;
	5 per cent. had conduct disorders (eg aggressive and antisocial behaviour), 4 per cent. had emotional disorders (eg anxiety, depression) and 1 per cent. were hyperkinetic (inattention, over-activity);
	mental disorders were significantly more common in boys than girls in both the five to 10 and the 11 to 15-year-old age groups.
	The survey also found that mental disorders were more likely among children:
	in lone parent compared with two parent families
	who had a parent with a mental disorder
	in families of social class V (unskilled occupations) compared with social class I (professional occupations)
	in families with a gross weekly household income of less than £200 compared with £500 or more
	who had a physical health complaint
	who had special educational needs.
	The prevalence of mental disorders in children were not unexpected nor were the associations between the risk factors and levels of disorder. They are in line with similar studies in Western Europe and the United States. This information has proved very useful in providing a benchmark for further work, such as that being undertaken by the child and adolescent mental health module of the Children's National Service Framework.

Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what remuneration (a) the Chairman (b) the Chief Executive and (c) each commissioner of the new Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health will receive.

David Lammy: The Chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health receives £25,000 per annum. Each commissioner receives £5,305 per annum. The Chief Executive post was advertised at between £80,000 to £100,000 per annum.

Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will name those people who took part in the interview and selection process for the position of Chairman at the new Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health; and how many people applied for the position.

David Lammy: The selection and interview panel consisted of Sir William Wells, chair of the national health service independent appointments commission, Sarah Mullally, chief nursing officer at the Department of Health, and Harry Cayton, chief executive of the Alzheimers Society and the director for patients' experience and public involvement at the Department of Health.
	The independent assessor, supplied by the office of the commissioner for public appointments, was Cindy Butts. 52 people applied for the position.

Congestion Charge

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from within the NHS in London about the impact of the congestion charge.

John Hutton: I have received three letters from national health service professionals employed in London about the impact of the congestion charge. No representations have been received from NHS organisations.

Correspondence

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the hon. Member for Broxbourne will receive a reply to her letters of 11 September, 8 October, 7 November and 5 December, relating to her constituent, Miss P. V. Kennion;
	(2)  when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Broxbourne of (a) 11 September 2002, (b) 8 October 2002, (c) 7 November 2002, (d) 5 December 2002 and (e) 7 January relating to Miss P. V. Kennion of Broxbourne, a constituent.

David Lammy: holding answers 16 December 2002 and 13 January 2003
	I understand that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs sent a reply on 21 January.

Delayed Discharges

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were subject to delayed discharge in each hospital trust in England as at (a) 31 December 2002 and (b) 31 December 2001.

Jacqui Smith: The table shows the data for England from September 2001 to September 2002. Information for December 2002 is not yet available. The detailed breakdowns of these figures by health authorities and primary care trusts have been placed in the Library.
	
		England: numbers of delayed discharges of patients of all ages by primary care trust(37)
		
			  Number Rate (percentage) 
		
		
			  
			 September 2002 5,385 5.1 
			 June 2002 5,489 5.1 
			 March 2002 5,473 5.2 
			 December 2001 6,419 6.1 
			 September 2001 7,065 6.6 
		
	
	(37)March 2002, December 2001 and September 2001 figures were collected by health authorities.

Departmental Performance Report

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish his Department's Autumn Performance Report, Service Delivery Agreements and Departmental Investment Strategy.

David Lammy: In December 2002, the Department published the chief executive's Report to the National Health Service, setting out progress during 2001–02 and for the first six months of the year.
	This report sets out clearly how the increased resources within the NHS are being used improve performance by providing more care for patients, improving quality and providing investment for the future. We intend to link this report to Her Majesty's Treasury website and will review it to ensure it covers reporting of public service agreement performance in full.
	The Departmental Investment Strategy, which explains the Department's capital investment plans for the years 2003–4 to 2005–6, will be published shortly, before Her Majesty's Treasury's March Budget Announcement.

Departmental Running Costs

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the running costs of (a) the Department and (b) each of its sponsored agencies were in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Detailed information on administration costs for the Department of Health administration costs expenditure and its agencies, going back to 1998–99 and with projections to 2003–04, is set out in Figure 8.1 of the 2002 Departmental Report (CM5403). Copies are available in the Library.
	Data for years before 1998–99 are not available on the same basis. Provisional out-turn for gross and net administration costs limits were published in Public Expenditure 2001–02 provisional out-turn (Cm 5574), Tables 4 and 5. Updated information, with plans to 2005–06 will be published in the 2003 Departmental Report in the spring.

Departmental Staff

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the distribution of his Department's wholetime equivalent staff was, including the staff in agencies and other bodies reporting to him was in each Government office region and nation of the UK (a) in 1996 and (b) at the most recent available period.

David Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 609W.

Draft Mental Health Bill

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of the responses to the draft Mental Health Bill consultation came from Wales;
	(2)  when he plans to publish a summary of the responses to the draft Mental Health Bill consultation.

Jacqui Smith: holding answers 17 December 2002
	We have received over 1,900 responses to the consultation on the draft Mental Health Bill. We are currently considering them carefully. The results of the consultation will be made public in due course. Approximately 17 per cent., have been identified as from people and organisations based in Wales.

Drugs Budget

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2003, Official Report, column 277W, on the drugs budget, what the budgets were for this provision.

John Hutton: The answer of 8 January, 2003 Official Report, column 277W, gave figures for the total expenditure on drugs for National Health Service trusts in England between 1998–99 and 2001–02.
	The Department does not hold information on resources set aside by NHS trusts for the provision of drugs.
	The resource amounts set aside from the unified allocation for drugs are essentially a local decision for NHS trusts to agree, in collaboration with primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and pre 2002–03 health authorities. NHS trust drug budgets are held and managed locally.

Entertainment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Expenditure arises on hospitality and entertainment only in the context of promoting the Department's business objectives. All such expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.
	Information in the required form is only available from 1995–96. The total amount spent by the Department of Health on hospitality since 1995–96 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			  
			 1995–96 73,516 
			 1996–97 105,192 
			 1997–98 90,883 
			 1998–99 67,953 
			 1999–2000 50,114 
			 2000–01 93,091 
			 2001–02 121,968 
			 2002–03 88,503 
		
	
	The 2002–03 figure represents expenditure from April to December.

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 January (ref. 84461), what cost benefit analysis has been carried out on expenditure on promoting consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 January 2003
	Increasing intakes of fruit and vegetables could reduce the risk of deaths from chronic disease, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer, by up to 20 per cent.
	The two major spending programmes to promote consumption, the national school fruit scheme and local Five-a-day community initiatives, are being funded by the new opportunities fund which will be commissioning detailed evaluations of their effect on diet including consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 January (ref. 84461), by how much consumption of (a) fruit and (b) vegetables has changed since 2001.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 January 2003
	National trends in fruit and vegetable consumption since 2001 cannot as yet be fully ascertained due to the considerable time it takes to undertake dietary surveys and their analyses. The latest national food survey data shows that between 1999 and 2000, household weekly purchase of fruit and fruit juice continued to increase, from 1,063 g to 1,121 g, whereas household consumption of vegetables continued to decrease, from 1,095 g to 1,077 g. This information does not take account of wastage.
	National evaluation of pilot five a day community initiatives—one year intervention between 2000 and 2001—showed that the initiatives stemmed a fall in fruit and vegetable intakes. There was no overall change in fruit and vegetable intake in the intervention group but there was a fall in intake by almost half a portion in the control group. The intervention was found to have had a positive effect in people with the lowest intakes. Those who ate less than five a day at baseline increased their intakes by one portion over the course of the study.
	Detailed information on fruit and vegetable intakes was collected as part of the Health Survey for England for the first time during 2002. The collection of this information in future years will allow an examination of national trends by age, sex and geographic region.

Health and Safety

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information he has collated on the application to his Department and its agencies of the checklist, circulated by letter by Sir Richard Mottram, referred to under Action Point 12 of the revitalising health and safety strategy statement; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department and its agencies have met the commitment arising from Action Point 13 of the June 2000 Strategy statement on revitalising health and safety to summarise health and safety performance and plans in annual reports from the year 2000–01 onwards.

David Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Smith) on 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 85W.

Health and Safety

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which senior officials within his Department and its agencies take responsibility for health and safety at board or equivalent level; and where their names are publicised.

David Lammy: Hugh Taylor, the Director of Corporate Affairs, will shortly be appointed by the Chief Executive as the board member with specific lead responsibility for health and safety in the Department of Health. Details of the appointment will be publicised in the annual report and included in the revised health and safety policy statement for the Department. The policy statement will be available on the Department's website.
	Roy Alder, Head of Executive Support, is responsible within the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). His name is publicised on the MCA website and in the Agency's published annual report and accounts.
	Tom Crawley, Branch Head of Corporate Services, is responsible within the Medical Devices Agency (MDA). His name is publicised in the MDA's annual report, though without specific reference to health and safety.
	Peter Wearmouth, Chief Executive of NHS Estates (NHSE), holds overall responsibility within NHSE. This is publicised in the Agency's annual report and to staff at their induction.
	John Short, Health and Safety Officer for the NHS Estates Agency, is the executive officer responsible for ensuring Estates complies with British and appropriate European legislation concerning health and safety. This information is publicised on the Estates intranet, on the health and safety law poster and to staff at their induction.
	Pat Corless, the acting Chief Executive, has framework document responsibility for health and safety within the NHS Pensions Agency (NHSPA). Nigel Holden, the Resource and Development Director, has board level responsibility for health and safety within NHSPA. Nigel Holden is named in the annual report as the lead on health and safety.
	Chris Uden, the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's Director of Corporate Development, is the nominated board level lead for health and safety matters within the Agency. This is publicised within the Agency during staff induction sessions and in the minutes of the health and safety policy group meetings.

Heritage and Antique Assets

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by his Department since May 1997; if he will list such assets; and if will estimate the total sales proceeds.

David Lammy: The Department has not sold any heritage assets or antique assets in the period since May 1997.
	This answer does not include information about the national health service.

Hospitals (Somerset)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many tasks he has set for each hospital in Somerset; and when they are due to be completed.

Hazel Blears: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has set no tasks specifically for hospitals in Somerset. Service delivery targets for the whole health system were set out in the NHS Plan.

HPA

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to maintain intelligence and service delivery in health protection after 1 April 2003 across the new structure for health protection.

Hazel Blears: We propose to establish the Health Protection Agency as a special health authority from 1 April 2003. As outlined in my response of 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 130W, to the hon. Member, the Department has identified interim organisational arrangements to ensure that the HPA can maintain intelligence and service delivery at national level. Similar arrangements are being finalised at regional and local level, including the identification of interim leads on microbiology services at regional level, to co-ordinate and support the public health outputs of HPA and national health service microbiology laboratories.

HPA

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the action plan for the creation of the HPA has been updated since 30 November 2002.

Hazel Blears: The action plan is regularly updated.

HPA

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the ability of the HPA to respond to a biological attack on the UK during the first six months of its operations.

Hazel Blears: We propose to establish the Health Protection Agency (HPA) as a special health authority from 1 April 2003. The establishment of the HPA will improve our ability to respond to the deliberate release of biological agents and other hazards. In particular, HPA will be able to tackle incidents in a very structured way, especially those where it is not clear at the outset what the nature of the problem might be.
	We shall be looking to the HPA to deliver a robust service, including the response to outbreaks caused by deliberate release of biological agents. We envisage that local, regional and national public health teams will be assisted by better microbiological services consisting of a complementary network of local public health and regional microbiologists, working with others at the national level, all of whom will have responsibility for operational support in the event of a major incident, including biological attacks. Interim management arrangements are being put in place at national, regional and local level to ensure that the HPA will be able to address key threats from its inception.
	Surveillance to detect untoward events and outbreaks will continue to be monitored by the communicable disease surveillance centre. This new, nationally consistent, coherent and co-ordinated approach offers better public health security to detect and respond to outbreaks of infection.

Lifestyle Survey

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 January (ref. 84467 and 84461), if he will list the programmes and the amount of money spent on each.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 January 2003
	The Department commissions several annual surveys that include questions on lifestyle issues:
	The Health Survey for England is a series of annual surveys about the health of people in England. This information is used to underpin and improve targeting of nation-wide health policies. The survey was carried out in 1991–1993 by the Office for Population Censuses and Surveys, which is now part of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). From 1994 onwards, the survey has been carried out by the joint survey unit of the national centre of social research and the department of epidemiology and public health at University College, London. The survey includes questions on smoking, drinking, obesity, fruit and vegetable consumption and in certain years, physical activity, but it extends beyond lifestyle questions and covers a wide range of subjects to do with the general health of the population.
	The ONS general household survey, "Living in Britain", is a continuous survey which has been running since 1971 and is based each year on a sample of the general population resident in private; that is, non-institutional, households in Great Britain. It covers a wide range of topics of relevance to households, families and individuals, including questions on smoking and drinking.
	The ONS omnibus survey is a multi-purpose survey carried out by the ONS for Government Departments and other public or non-profit making bodies. Interviewing is carried out every month and each month's questionnaire covers a variety of topics, reflecting different user's requirements. Included among these from time to time will be questions on smoking, drinking and contraception.
	The annual survey of drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England is part of a series established in 1982 and provides national estimates of the proportion of young people aged 11–15 who smoke, drink alcohol and/or take illegal drugs.
	
		Costs in 2001–02
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Health Survey for England 2.75 
			 General Household Survey (38)0.26 
			 Omnibus Surveys (38)0.24 
			 Drug Use Smoking and Drinking(38) 0.18 
		
	
	(38) Represents the cost of the Department of Health contribution to the ONS.

M&M Impact Ltd.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which NHS trusts in the North West have contracts with M&M Impact Ltd., formerly known as M&M Associates;
	(2)  when the tendering process took place for the public relations contract with (a) Warrington Hospital NHS Trust and (b) North Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust; and in each case, (i) where advertisements inviting tenders were placed, (ii) how many applications were received and (iii) how many applications were received from firms based in Warrington.

Jacqui Smith: holding answers 19 December 2002
	The tendering process for the public relations contract with Warrington Hospital took place in December 1994 and there has been no subsequent re-tendering for this contract. Invitations to tender were issued to three external organisations and one in-house bidder. Information regarding any advertisements which may have appeared eight years ago is no longer available.
	Four applications were received; in additional to the in-house bid there was one bid from a company based in Warrington. The lowest bid was successful.
	M&M Impact Ltd. and M&M Associates are separate companies. M&M Impact is a design consultancy. None of the national health service trusts in the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority area hold contracts with M&M Impact.
	Three NHS trusts within the StHA area hold contracts with M&M Associates: North Cheshire Hospitals; Wirral Hospitals and Cheshire and Wirral Partnership. In addition, Bebington and West Wirral and Birkenhead and Wallasey Primary care trusts are honouring a contract previously held by the former Wirral Health Authority, which ends in March 2003.

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy of the report by Dr. Kirkup on Mersey Regional Ambulance Service in the Library.

Jacqui Smith: I have today arranged for a copy of the Kirkup Report to be placed in the Library.

Milk

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has assessed concerning the introduction of cows' milk in infant diets before the age of two and the incidence of iron deficiency anaemia.

Hazel Blears: The Department undertakes regular surveys to monitor the diet and health of children. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey showed that more than one in ten children aged 1½ to 2½ years were anaemic. Early introduction of cow's milk is associated with increased risk of anaemia. The Infant Feeding Survey 2000 reported that by the age of nine months 54 per cent. had introduced cow's milk, compared to 61 per cent. in 1995, while 8 per cent. were giving cow's milk as a main drink, compared to 15 per cent. in 1995.
	The Department recommends that unmodified cow's milk be given as a main drink only after the age of one year and may be used in small quantities in the preparation of solid foods in the second half of infancy. After one year, diet should include a variety of foods to ensure that it is adequate in iron, vitamin C and D.

Miller Group

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the property portfolio being transferred to Miller Group as part of the acquisition of inventures.

David Lammy: The list of properties in the portfolio being sold to Miller/HBOS is still in the process of being finalised.

Minimum Wage

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage (a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year.

David Lammy: We are unable to provide data on the impact of increasing the minimum wage in line with average earnings as these statistics are not collected centrally.
	There would be no impact on the Department of Health of increasing the minimum wage by the amounts listed.
	The minimum wage in the Department of Health, as of August 2002, is 11,100 (Full time equivalent).
	For staff based in London (36 hours per week) this works out to be 5.90 per hour.
	For staff based outside of London (37 hours per week) this works out to be 5.74 per hour.

Ministerial Visits

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next plans to visit a children's hospice.

Hazel Blears: There are no current plans in my right hon. Friend's official diary to visit a children's hospice. Should a request to do so be received in the Department, he will give it his full consideration.

Mixed Sex Wards

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals in the south west have mixed-sex wards.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected at individual hospital level but at trust level.
	The reasons for measuring at trust level is because hospital wards generally care for both men and women. To provide the required levels of privacy and dignity for patients, wards are split into single sex bays, or single rooms, or otherwise configured to provide adequate segregation of gender. It is the responsibility of each national health service trust to determine the most appropriate configuration to meet their specific requirements.
	In 1998, we set three clear objectives which were designed to deliver separate sleeping areas and separate toilet and washing facilities for men and women, and to safeguard the privacy and dignity of patients who are mentally ill.
	Today, 98 per cent. of NHS trusts provide single-sex sleeping accommodation and have robust operational policies in place which protect patients' privacy and dignity. 95 per cent. of NHS trusts have met additional criteria set for mental health facilities. The target to provide separate toilet and washing facilities for men and women will be met by the end of March. 93 per cent. of NHS trusts currently meet this requirement, and a further 2 per cent. of NHS trusts have works underway to deliver the required standard, affecting just 32 wards, which will be completed by the end of the March.
	Nationally, over 98 per cent. of NHS wards meet privacy and dignity guidelines. New hospitals and hospital facilities currently being built will bring the remaining wards to the necessary standard.

Mortuary Provision

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions the Government have taken with regard to the provision of mortuary facilities in the NHS in the past year.

John Hutton: The Government have published the NHS estates document, "Health Building Note 20 Facilities for mortuary and post-mortem room services", giving revised guidance on the planning and design of comprehensive NHS mortuary and post mortem facilities.
	The document is available on www.nhsestates.gov.uk.

NHS Advertising

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the purpose was of the recent NHS advertisement in the German press entitled "Become one in a million".

John Hutton: The aim was to attract suitably qualified senior doctors who were interested in working in the National Health Service.

NHS Advertising

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are for the NHS to advertise for consultants and general practitioners in the foreign media; and if he will list such campaigns since 1 May 1997.

John Hutton: The Department did not undertake any advertising in foreign media before August 2001. Since that date the following advertisements have been placed.
	In addition, national health service employers have placed advertisements for specific vacancies.
	The Department plans to advertise the International Fellowship Scheme in March to April and September to October 2003. Plans for additional advertising have not yet been finalised.
	
		
			 Date Advertisement Countries 
		
		
			 August 2001 Consultant recruitment Spain 
			 September 2001 General practitioner recruitment Spain 
			 September 2001 Consultant and general practitioner recruitment Europe, North America, Australasia and the Middle East 
			 January 2002 Consultant and general practitioner recruitment Germany 
			 March 2002 International Fellowship Scheme Europe, North America and Australasia 
			 August 2002 Consultant and general practitioner recruitment Germany 
			 September and December 2002 International Fellowship Scheme Europe, North America and Australasia 
			 September 2002 General practitioner recruitment Europe 
			 December 2002 Consultant and general practitioner recruitment Europe 
			 December 2002 Seminar publicity Germany, Austria and Switzerland 
			 December 2002 Consultant and general practitioner recruitment Spain

NHS Advertising

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the total cost of (a) the recent NHS advertisement in the German press entitled 'Become one in a million' and (b) the seminars referred to in the advertisement.

John Hutton: The most recent advertisement that appeared in the German press entitled 'Become one in a million' cost £5,794 in total. The seminars referred to in the advertisement in Vienna and Salzburg will cost £5,500. Costs for the seminar in Dusseldorf have not yet been finalised.

NHS Direct

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected waiting time is for patients to speak to a doctor when calling NHS Direct.

David Lammy: holding answer 10 December 2002
	There is no expected time for a patient to speak to a doctor when calling NHS Direct. NHS Direct is a nurse led service.

NHS Doctors

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual (a) total and (b) percentage increases in the number of NHS doctors have been in each year since 1992.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		All NHS doctors(39) (excluding GP retainers) in England, 1992–2001
		
			   Change  
			 Year Total Year Percentage 
		
		
			 1992 79,232 1992–93 1.9 
			 1993 80,739 1993–94 0.7 
			 1994 81,319 1994–95 3.9 
			 1995 84,459 1995–96 2.5 
			 1996 86,584 1996–97 3.5 
			 1997 89,619 1997–98 2.5 
			 1998 91,837 1998–99 2.3 
			 1999 93,981 1999–2000 2.5 
			 2000 96,319 2000–01 3.0 
			 2001 99,169 — — 
		
	
	(39) Includes NHS Hospital, Public Health Medicine, Community Health Service medical and dental doctors and General Medical Practitioners (GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Salaried GPs, PMS Contracted GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA) and PMS Others). GP Retainers were first counted in 1999 and have been omitted for comparability purposes.
	Sources:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics. Data as at 1 October 1992–99 and 30 September 2000–01.
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census. Data as at 30 September each year.

NHS Indicators

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish key indicators about NHS performance and staffing in 2003.

John Hutton: As the independent regulator for national health service performance, the Commission for Health Improvement will be responsible for all future publications of NHS performance ratings. The next publication will be in summer 2003.
	It is intended that statistics on NHS workforce numbers will be published before the end of the financial year. Vacancy data at March 2003 will be published in the second half of 2003.

NHS Staff (Herefordshire)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general practitioners, (b) nurses and (c) consultants are employed in Herefordshire.

David Lammy: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		All General Medical Practitioners(40), Nurses(41) and HCHS Consultants in Herefordshire Health Authority as at 30 September 2001
		
			  Numbers (headcount) 
		
		
			  
			 General Medical Practioners 137 
			 Nurses 1,071 
			 Consultants 72 
		
	
	(40) Includes GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS Other and GP Retainers.
	(41) Includes HCHS qualified nurses and General Practice Nurses
	Sources:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
	Department of Health medical workforce census
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census

NHS Treatment Abroad

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with healthcare officials in Tunisia about possible treatment of NHS patients.

John Hutton: The Department has not held any discussions with healthcare officials in Tunisia about possible treatment of national health service patients, nor has it any plans to do so.

NHS Treatment Abroad

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of his officials have visited hospitals in Tunisia.

John Hutton: No departmental officials have visited any hospitals in Tunisia, nor do they have plans to do so.

Nursing Vacancies (Somerset)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing vacancies there were in each Somerset NHS trust in (a) March 1997 and (b) December 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Department's three-month vacancy survey has been collected yearly since March 1999 and is therefore not available for 1997.
	However, the numbers of nursing vacancies in each Somerset national health service trust for the two nearest dates (March 1999 and March 2002) are shown in the tables.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 1999—vacancies in NHS trusts in England and Somerset Health Authority area by trust, qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff—three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (excluding HA staff)  
			  Three month vacancy rate (percentage) Three month vacancy (number) Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) Staff in post (headcount) 
		
		
			 England (excluding HA staff) 2.8 7,147 246,965 304,230 
			 Somerset HA trusts total 1.6 31 1,857 2,333 
			 Avalon Somerset NHS Trust 0.3 1 304 331 
			 East Somerset NHS Trust 0.7 4 519 704 
			 Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust 2.4 26 1,034 1,298 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 1999.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-Medical Census, September 1998.
	5. Staff in post data are from the Non-Medical Census, September 1998.
	6. Staff in post data exclude staff employed by health authorities, as vacancy information was only collected from trusts.
	7. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	8. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	9. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	10. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	11. HA figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of healthcare.
	Sources:
	Vacancy numbers and rates: Department of Health Vacancies Survey March 1999
	Non medical staff in post: Department of Health Non-Medical workforce census September 1998
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2002—vacancies in NHS trusts in England and Somerset Health Authority area by trust, qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff—three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (excluding HA staff)  
			  Three month vacancy rate (percentage) Three month vacancy (number) Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) Staff in post (headcount) 
		
		
			 England (excluding HA staff) 3.1 8,394 265,717 329,981 
			 Somerset HA trusts total 0.4 8 2,187 2,826 
			 Somerset Coast PCT 3.3 6 181 269 
			 Mendip PCT 0.0 0 132 175 
			 East Somerset Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 570 756 
			 Taunton and Somerset Hospital NHS Trust 0.3 3 975 1,263 
			 Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust 0.0 0 329 363 
		
	
	Key notes:
	1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2002.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Vacancy Survey, March 2002.
	5. Staff in post data are from the Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2001
	6. Staff in post data exclude staff employed by health authorities, as vacancy information was only collected from trusts, PCTs and Special HAs.
	7. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	8. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	9. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts
	10. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	11. HA figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of healthcare.
	12. Avalon Somerset NHS Trust changed name to Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust on 1 April 1999.
	Sources:
	Vacancy numbers and rates: Department of Health Vacancies Survey March 2002.
	Non medical staff in post: Department of Health Non-Medical workforce census September 2001.

Operation Cataract

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the unit cost was of cataract operations carried out at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary under Operation Cataract by a visiting South African team; and what the equivalent cost is (a) normally at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and (b) on average in NHS hospital trusts in England.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is currently unavailable for cataract operations at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
	A major procurement exercise for clinical services, including cataracts, is currently being undertaken at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and as such is regarded as commercially confidential. However, the average unit cost of phakoemulsification cataract extraction with lens implant undertaken as a day case in a national health service trust in England is £632.

Overseas Surgical Teams

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of utilising overseas surgical teams was for each trust up until 31 October.

John Hutton: The information required is not available in the format requested. £24 million has been allocated for various overseas clinical teams initiatives for 2002–03.

Paper Supplies

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the suppliers are of his Department's (a) paper and (b) paper products.

David Lammy: The Department has three main avenues for the supply of paper and paper products.
	Paper used in connection with normal business needs is supplied by the Department's contracted stationery supplier, Guilbert Niceday. Paper used in the production of bulk photocopying is supplied by our reprographics contractor, "erox. Paper products used in publications and reports are not purchased separately but are provided as part of the contract by a range of print suppliers under competitively tendered framework agreements.

Parkinson's Disease

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received the extension of the exemption from prescription charges for sufferers from Parkinson's disease; what estimate he has made of the average annual cost of prescriptions to sufferers of Parkinson's disease; and if he will make a statement on the age profile of those who suffer from Parkinson's disease.

David Lammy: Since January 2002 we have received 13 letters requesting that Parkinson's disease be included in the list of medical conditions conferring exemption from prescription charges.
	There is no cost of prescriptions to sufferers from Parkinson's disease who are aged 60 or over, who are (or their partner is) receiving income support, income based Jobseeker's allowance or tax credits (where income is below a specified limit, currently around £226 net per week) or who have successfully claimed help under the national health service low income scheme. We estimate that most sufferers from Parkinson's disease who are not entitled to free prescriptions will have sufficient prescriptions each year to make purchase of a pre-payment certificate worthwhile. These cost £89 for 12 months.
	There are more than 120,000 people with Parkinson's Disease in the United Kingdom. It is uncommon in people younger than 30; after that the risk of developing it increases with age. The incidence of Parkinson's Disease is approximately 1:1000 in the general population, rising to 1:100 over the age of 65 and 1:50 over the age of 80.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply to the questions tabled by the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham Refs. 83295, 83289, 86703, 86805 and 86807.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the replies that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy) gave on 4 December 2002, Official Report, column 901W and on 10 December 2002, Official Report, column 304W and to the reply that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Ms Blears) gave on 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 688W. The other replies were sent on Monday 20 January and Tuesday 21 January.

Patients Forums

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients forums have been established.

David Lammy: No statutory patients forums have yet been established.

PHLS Laboratories

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken to minimise the risks from disbanding the PHLS before the Health Protection Agency is fully functional.

Hazel Blears: In England, most of the Public Health Laboratories Service (PHLS) laboratories which carry out general diagnostic microbiology are planned to transfer to national health service trusts by 31 March 2003. They are transferring with their current level of funding, which will be maintained for at least the first two years. Each transferring laboratory will have a public health microbiologist, who will work with consultants in communicable disease control, local authorities, the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre and other public health agencies. Service level agreements are being prepared to maintain this work. In addition, there will be a regional microbiologist in each of the nine public health regions, who will work with regional epidemiologists in the implementation of key infectious disease programmes as well as in the investigation of outbreaks of communicable disease. Regional microbiologists will also work to co-ordinate the work between the laboratories in the Health Protection Agency and the NHS. In Wales, PHLS laboratories and the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Wales are transferring to the national public health service—Wales, on 1 April 2003.
	The PHLS Board will remain in existence until primary legislation is changed. From 1 April 2003, we intend that it will be responsible for the production of media for microbiology laboratories, following the transfer of its other current functions to the HPA which we propose to create as a special health authority from the same date.

Pre-hospital Care

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent the National Health Service is bound by the Joint Royal College Ambulance Liaison Committee guidelines on pre-hospital care.

David Lammy: The guidelines on pre hospital care were issued to all ambulance trusts and it was for them to decide whether or not to use them.

Pre-hospital Care

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to public funds was of the preparation of the Joint Royal College Ambulance Liaison guidelines on pre-hospital care.

David Lammy: There was no cost to public funds for the preparation of the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison guidelines on pre hospital care.

Press Releases

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each (a) year and (b) quarter from 1995–96 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Financial Year Number of Press Releases Issued 
		
		
			 2002 to 20 January 2003 378 
			 2001–02 609 
			 2000–01 697 
			 1999–2000 743 
			 1998–99 559 
			 1997–98 330 
			 1996–97 296 
			 1995–96 431 
		
	
	Quarterly figures for the past seven years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Primary Care Trusts

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 January (ref. 84461), for what reason primary care trusts need to supplement the national expenditure programme on promoting consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 January 2003
	One of the roles of a primary care trust is to improve the health of their communities. This requires them to take the lead on public health issues in their area, develop health improvement and modernisation programmes based on health needs, and integrate service planning and health promotion. Their public health role encompasses, for example, smoking cessation, teenage pregnancy and healthy eating.
	By 2004, primary care trusts will be managing up to 75 per cent. of the total national health service budget. They will use the money to commission services to meet the needs of their local population, which may include projects to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Primary Care Trusts

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are applied in the selection of non-executive directors of PCTs.

David Lammy: Details of the qualities required of all primary care trust non-executive directors have been placed in the Library. In addition, particular attributes can be sought for individual vacancies, to ensure that the board has an appropriate mix of skills and experience.

Prostate Cancer

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the causes of the regional differences in the incidence of prostate cancer in Great Britain.

Hazel Blears: Rates of prostate cancer per 100,000 population in 1999, broken down by region, are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Health regional office of residence Rate of prostate cancer per 100,000 population (1999) 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire 82.3 
			 Trent 70.0 
			 Eastern 92.1 
			 London 71.4 
			 South East 93.9 
			 South West 101.3 
			 West Midlands 89.8 
			 North West 80.3 
			 England 84.9 
		
	
	Source:
	Cancer statistics registrations: Registration of cancer diagnosed in 1999, England (Office for National Statistics 2002)
	Prostate cancer is related to affluence. It is also possible that these figures reflect in part differential take-up of prostate specific antigen testing in different parts of the country.

Public Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 208W, on public information, how much it cost to establish his Department's Customer Services Centre; and how many staff work here.

David Lammy: The team has been established within existing resources. There are 38 members of staff managing correspondence from hon. and right hon. Members and members of the public, departmental e-mails and the call centre.

Public Service Agreements

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish his autumn departmental reports on public service agreement targets; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: In December 2002, the Department of Health published the chief executive's report to the National Health Service, setting out progress during 2001–02 and for the first six months of the year. This report sets out clearly how the increased resources within the NHS are being used improve performance by providing more care for patients, improving quality and providing investment for the future.
	We intend to link this report to Her Majesty's Treasury website and will review it to ensure that it covers reporting of Public Service Agreement performance in full.

Reconfiguration of Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 8 January 2003, Official Report, column 277W, if he will make a statement on his reference to thinking about how to reorganise services safely and effectively as moved on; what his policy is on the ideal population size to be served by an acute hospital; when the consultation exercise for the new project will be published; and what impact he expects that consultation to have on future plans for the NHS.

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the document on reconfiguration of hospitals will be published; and whether it includes an assessment of the place of foundation hospitals in the re-organisation of hospital services.

John Hutton: A document on the configuration of hospital services is to be published shortly. The document will be relevant to all parts of the national health service.

Roaccutane

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people in the UK have been prescribed roaccutane in each of the past five years; and what proportion of those people have reported symptoms of depression or psychiatric disorders;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products' review of safety information for roaccutane.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to estimate the precise number of patients who have received Roaccutane (isotretinoin) in the United Kingdom in the last five years. However, it has been estimated that approximately 375,000 treatment courses of isotretinoin have been prescribed between 1983 and May 2002.
	The table provides the total number of suspected psychiatric disorders reported during each of the past five years through the Yellow Card Scheme for Roaccutane. It also shows the number of reports of symptoms of depression, which forms part of the total psychiatric disorders.
	
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Psychiatric disorders 48 44 50 26 25 
			 Depression 23 17 17 11 11 
		
	
	A report of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the medicine. The number of reports received should not be used as a basis for determining the incidence of a reaction as neither the total number of reactions occurring, nor the number of patients using the drug is known.
	With expert advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Medicines Control Agency is currently leading a European-wide review of the product information of isotretinoin products, including Roaccutane, with the aim to ensure that up to date and consistent information is provided to health professionals and patients to optimise its safe use. This review is likely to take some months to complete. Any new advice will be communicated to health professionals and patients.

Single-sex Wards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has met in full its three objectives regarding single sex wards.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 24WS.

West Midlands Hospitals (Red Alert)

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many hospitals within the West Midlands (South) Strategic Health Authority area were on red alert on each day since 1 December 2002; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  on how many days since 1st December 2002 hospitals within the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust were on red alert; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The term "red alert" is used by a few National Health trusts. It does not have a standard definition.
	Since 1 December 2002, a total of seven red alerts on seven separate days were issued by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. No other hospital trusts within the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority (StHA) area have issued red alerts in the period.
	During this period, the trust experienced a significant amount of pressure, largely due to diarrhoea and vomiting outbreaks, in addition to an increase in thelevels of emergency admissions. Each health community within the StHA has an agreed escalation policy described in winter plans. Each phase of escalation policy is triggered by specific operational difficulties. When the circumstances deteriorate to such a level, patients are diverted to a nearby, alternative hospital, often within the same trust.
	It is the StHA's view that the steps that were taken by the Worcestershire health economy were acceptable within the local guidelines and in line with the escalation policy.

Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was to the Worcestershire Acute Hospital, NHS Trust of their preparations for the recent inspection by the Commission for Health Improvement.

David Lammy: The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust did not collect this information at the time of the inspection, nor is it collected centrally.

Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs have been incurred by the Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust since September 2000 as a consequence of suspension of consultants.

David Lammy: The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust has had one consultant suspension during the period. During that suspension, a locum consultant was employed by trust at NHS locum rates. In this particular case the costs amounted to approximately £30,000.
	Source:
	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Speeding (Motorways)

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of motorway speeding offences, broken down into speed bands, in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: Information held centrally on the number of convictions for speeding offences does not distinguish the classification of road on which the offence took place nor the speedband registered.

Anti-social Behaviour Orders

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been made in the Easington constituency; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The number of notifications received by the Home Office of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, from 1 April 1999 up to 30 September 2002 (latest available), within the Easington district council area, (in which the Easington constituency is situated), are four.
	We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made nationally have been consistently under reported in returns made by magistrates courts and are considering how reporting can be improved.

Anti-social Behaviour Orders

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to ensure that it is easier for the police to issue behaviour orders.

John Denham: Changes under the Police Reform Act 2002 make it easier for all relevant authorities to obtain anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO). Interim orders are now available, as are orders on conviction in the criminal courts. From April orders will also be available in the county courts. In addition, the British Transport Police can now apply directly for orders. The Home Office has issued guidance on these changes to assist practitioners in their implementation.
	Measures to further improve ASBOs are being introduced under the forthcoming anti-social behaviour bill.

Asylum Seekers (EU Fingerprinting)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the launch of the EU's centralised fingerprinting system aimed at asylum seekers.

Beverley Hughes: The Government welcome the implementation on 15 January of the centralised EURODAC fingerprint database. Fingerprint technology is an important tool to cut fraud and prevent abuse of national immigration and asylum systems. Co-operation with our European partners through the EURODAC system builds on this and EURODAC will provide a valuable resource to tackle multiple asylum applications. As it becomes established EURODAC will help speed up the processing of asylum cases under the Dublin Convention and its replacement, the Dublin II Regulation, by improving the detection of multiple asylum applications made within the EU or Norway and Iceland.

Asylum Seekers (Infant Formula Milk)

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether vouchers for infant formula milk are provided for asylum seekers with young children; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 22 January 2003
	Asylum seekers and their dependants are not eligible to obtain milk tokens under the Welfare Food Scheme Regulations 1996. On 5 November my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced that the asylum support regulations 2000 would be amended to allow for additional payments to be made to supported pregnant women and children under the age of three. Supported pregnant women and children aged one to three will each receive £3 per week. Babies under the age of one will receive £5 per week.

Asylum Seeking Children

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children applied for asylum within the UK in each year since 1997, broken down by country of origin.

Beverley Hughes: Reliable information on the entry routes of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), including when UASCs first enter the UK, is not available. However, information on the nationality of UASC applicants who applied at port and in-country between 1997 and 2001, inclusive, is given in the table. Annual figures for 2002 are not yet available.
	Information on asylum applications from unaccompanied children is published annually. The next annual publication will be available later this year.
	Information on asylum applications and initial decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will present data for the final quarter of 2002, and will be available from 28 February 2003 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Unaccompanied(42),(43),(44)children, aged 17 or under, applying for asylum in the United Kingdom by nationality, 1997 to 2001
		
			  1997 1998  
			 Nationality Total Applied at port Applied in country Total Applied at port Applied in country 
		
		
			 Albania 39 15 24 49 33 16 
			 Czech Republic 2 2 — 6 6 — 
			 FRY 119 — 119 1,529 259 1,270 
			 Macedonia — — — 1 1 — 
			 Poland 18 18 — 44 44 — 
			 Romania 32 3 29 68 5 63 
			 Russia 2 — 2 2 1 1 
			 Turkey 48 47 1 107 100 7 
			 Ukraine — — — 2 — 2 
			 Other Former USSR 27 9 18 36 15 21 
			 Other Former Yugo. 107 66 41 23 2 21 
			 Europe other 15 15 — 9 9 — 
			 Europe total 409 175 234 1,876 475 1,401 
			
			 Colombia 26 25 1 9 9 — 
			 Ecuador 4 4 — 5 4 1 
			 Jamaica 1 1 — 4 4 — 
			 Americas other 2 2 — 2 1 1 
			 Americas total 33 32 1 20 18 2 
			
			 Algeria 21 7 14 50 10 40 
			 Angola 12 8 4 10 9 1 
			 Burundi 3 — 3 6 4 2 
			 Congo 2 1 1 1 — 1 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 27 16 11 19 9 10 
			 Eritrea 45 20 25 91 33 58 
			 Ethiopia 23 9 14 66 38 28 
			 Gambia — — — — — — 
			 Ghana 1 1 — 2 2 — 
			 Ivory Coast — — — 1 — 1 
			 Kenya 9 7 2 23 17 6 
			 Nigeria 18 8 10 53 34 19 
			 Rwanda 7 2 5 13 7 6 
			 Sierra Leone 14 8 6 23 11 12 
			 Somalia 158 122 36 153 88 65 
			 Sudan 3 2 1 4 4 — 
			 Tanzania 1 1 — 3 2 1 
			 Uganda 5 1 4 9 4 5 
			 Zimbabwe 1 1 — — — — 
			 Africa other 18 12 6 8 3 5 
			 Africa total 368 226 142 535 275 260 
			
			 Iran 7 6 1 8 6 2 
			 Iraq 20 17 3 30 26 4 
			 Middle East other 12 7 5 7 5 2 
			 Middle East total 39 30 9 45 37 8 
			
			 Afghanistan 109 101 8 124 108 16 
			 Bangladesh 3 — 3 2 — 2 
			 China 78 49 29 301 69 232 
			 India 6 6 — 9 9 — 
			 Nepal — — — — — — 
			 Pakistan 4 3 1 12 11 1 
			 Sri Lanka 40 36 4 91 69 22 
			 Asia other 4 4 — 10 — 10 
			 Asia total 244 199 45 549 266 283 
			
			 Nationality not known 9 9 — 12 12 — 
			
			 Grand total 1,102 671 431 3,037 1,083 1,954 
		
	
	
		
			  1999 2000  
			 Nationality Total Applied at port Applied in country Total Applied at port Applied in country 
		
		
			 Albania 126 116 10 94 25 69 
			 Czech Republic 29 29 — 18 18 — 
			 FRY 1,522 188 1,334 666 70 596 
			 Macedonia — — — — — — 
			 Poland 47 47 — 13 13 — 
			 Romania 86 1 85 40 8 32 
			 Russia 3 — 3 2 — 2 
			 Turkey 116 107 9 153 136 17 
			 Ukraine 1 — 1 4 1 3 
			 Other Former USSR 26 20 6 24 15 9 
			 Other Former Yugo. 32 20 12 36 1 35 
			 Europe other 8 8 — 3 2 1 
			 Europe total 1,996 536 1,460 1,053 289 764 
			 Colombia 18 16 2 5 6 — 
			 Ecuador 13 12 1 7 6 1 
			 Jamaica 6 6 — 3 3 — 
			 Americas other 3 3 — 1 1 — 
			 Americas total 40 37 3 16 15 1 
			
			 Algeria 12 5 7 23 9 14 
			 Angola 42 24 18 102 34 68 
			 Burundi 12 1 11 21 10 11 
			 Congo 7 5 2 12 4 8 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 33 28 5 47 35 12 
			 Eritrea 93 49 44 85 34 51 
			 Ethiopia 54 31 23 62 25 37 
			 Gambia — — — — — — 
			 Ghana 1 — 1 10 9 1 
			 Ivory Coast 1 1 — 5 2 3 
			 Kenya 12 7 5 8 5 3 
			 Nigeria 45 38 7 24 20 4 
			 Rwanda 35 11 24 49 5 44 
			 Sierra Leone 65 57 8 74 60 14 
			 Somalia 189 156 33 177 99 78 
			 Sudan 6 5 1 9 8 1 
			 Tanzania 1 1 — 3 2 1 
			 Uganda 10 — 10 26 1 25 
			 Zimbabwe 6 6 — 34 32 2 
			 Africa other 8 8 — 28 23 5 
			 Africa total 632 433 199 799 417 382 
			
			 Iran 14 13 1 65 50 15 
			 Iraq 58 52 6 112 86 26 
			 Middle East other 16 14 2 14 10 4 
			 Middle East total 88 79 9 191 146 45 
			
			 Afghanistan 213 194 19 300 264 36 
			 Bangladesh 4 3 1 4 1 3 
			 China 166 44 122 117 58 59 
			 India 13 11 2 14 13 1 
			 Nepal — — — 1 — 1 
			 Pakistan 19 15 4 25 19 6 
			 Sri Lanka 127 104 23 170 142 28 
			 Asia other 10 1 9 24 11 13 
			 Asia total 552 372 180 655 508 147 
			
			 Nationality not known 41 41 — 19 19 — 
			
			 Grand total 3,349 1,498 1,851 2,733 1,394 1,339 
		
	
	
		
			  2001(45)  
			 Nationality Total Applied at port Applied in country 
		
		
			 Albania 85 10 75 
			 Czech Republic 22 22 — 
			 FRY 477 19 458 
			 Macedonia 99 4 95 
			 Poland 23 23 — 
			 Romania 49 16 33 
			 Russia 4 1 3 
			 Turkey 95 83 12 
			 Ukraine 2 1 1 
			 Other Former USSR 48 14 34 
			 Other Former Yugo. 79 2 77 
			 Europe other — — — 
			 Europe total 983 195 788 
			 
			 Colombia 7 5 2 
			 Ecuador 4 3 1 
			 Jamaica 2 — 2 
			 Americas other 7 4 3 
			 Americas total 20 12 8 
			 Algeria 20 3 17 
			 Angola 147 32 115 
			 Burundi 20 7 13 
			 Congo 30 10 20 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 82 28 54 
			 Eritrea 111 27 84 
			 Ethiopia 141 23 118 
			 Gambia 2 1 1 
			 Ghana 4 3 1 
			 Ivory Coast 6 — 6 
			 Kenya 15 6 9 
			 Nigeria 37 28 9 
			 Rwanda 38 4 34 
			 Sierra Leone 129 80 49 
			 Somalia 198 57 141 
			 Sudan 6 3 3 
			 Tanzania 1 — 1 
			 Uganda 47 3 44 
			 Zimbabwe 35 31 4 
			 Africa other 48 16 32 
			 Africa total 1,117 362 755 
			 Iran 23 18 5 
			 Iraq 182 129 53 
			 Middle East other 20 12 8 
			 Middle East total 225 159 66 
			 
			 Afghanistan 673 620 53 
			 Bangladesh 14 1 13 
			 China 137 84 53 
			 India 19 16 3 
			 Nepal 2 — 2 
			 Pakistan 25 18 7 
			 Sri Lanka 138 102 36 
			 Asia other 92 54 38 
			 Asia total 1,100 895 205 
			 
			 Nationality not known 24 24 — 
			 
			 Grand total 3,469 1,647 1,822 
		
	
	(42) Unaccompanied at the point of their arrival, and not known to be joining a close relative in the United Kingdom.
	(43) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2001.
	(44) Figures exclude disputed age cases.
	(45) Provisional figures.

Blueprint Research Programme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current status of the Blueprint research programme is; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Blueprint is a drug prevention programme for 11 to 13-year-olds based on the principles that underpin effective school-based drug education. The project aims to recruit 30 schools to the project by April 2003. Invitations to participate in the project (dated 13 January 2003) have been sent to 122 secondary schools across eight local education authorities (Birmingham, Cheshire, Derby, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Leeds, Staffordshire and Stoke). The project is on target.

Blueprint Research Programme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Department for Education and Skills regarding the Blueprint research programme.

Bob Ainsworth: Blueprint is a partnership of the Home Office, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Health. The Home Office is the budget holder. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health endorsed the programme in October 2001. Subsequently. DfES have been involved at both ministerial and official level in every stage of the project.

Blueprint Research Programme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department show much his Department has invested in the Blueprint research programme.

Bob Ainsworth: The expected expenditure for Blueprint in the financial year 2002–03 is £397,117 out of a total budget of £5 million. Expenditure will continue until the end of the third quarter of the financial year 2007–08.

Caythorpe Court

Douglas Hogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter of 11 December 2002 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham regarding the possible use of Caythorpe Court, Lincolnshire for the accommodation of asylum seekers;
	(2)  what plans his Department and its agencies have to use Caythorpe Court, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire for the accommodation of asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 23 January 2003
	I replied to the right hon. Member on 17 and 20 January 2003. As I explained the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is considering the use of Caythorpe Court as emergency accommodation for asylum seekers while their application for support and dispersal elsewhere is considered. No decision has yet been made.

CCTV

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase funding to police authorities to extend CCTV schemes.

John Denham: Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative over £170 million is being spent funding 684 CCTV schemes. More than 540 of these schemes are already fully operational, with further schemes coming on line weekly.
	Although this strand of funding is now closed, other opportunities for funding of CCTV schemes currently exist through the funds available to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, on which the police are partners. Funding of £94 million was announced on January 21 as being available to partnerships for 2003–04. Potential funding is also available through the Small Retailers in Deprived Areas initiative.
	General Police Grants will increase by 4.3 per cent. to £7.3 billion in 2003–04. These grants are used by police authorities and chief officers to support their policing programme and plans.

Community Beat Wardens

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community beat wardens in helping reduce nuisance and crime.

Barbara Roche: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister warden schemes work in partnership with local communities and are still relatively new. Robust evaluation is not yet available, but interim findings are positive and show that warden schemes can contribute to improving the liveability of neighbourhoods and the reduction of crime and fear of crime. Residents report significant improvements in community spirit and the quality of life in their neighbourhoods where wardens have proven beneficial and popular.

Community Cohesion (Lancashire)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the police in Lancashire are taking to promote community cohesion; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: Lancashire Constabulary has conducted successful operations to deal with major criminal activities which affect the community, such as drug dealing, burglary and car crime. The Chief Constable's July 2002 Constabulary Ambition Statement for Lancashire gives priority to leadership, resource management, communication, community engagement and delivering results. All are important for the promotion of community cohesion, which is central to the work of the police across the country and particularly in areas with fragmented communities.
	Specific steps being taken by Lancashire Constabulary include:
	community beat managers in strategic areas around the county, particularly in Burnley and Pendle, each with responsibility for a particular area, providing a constant link with the public, dealing with community issues and reducing crime; they are also the best link with young people, and help respond to rumours and provide reassurance. To raise their profile, they are having a new uniform insignia, and commitment is being made to continuity by not redeploying them to other duties and by maintaining individuals in post for a minimum of two years;
	the proactive work of the newly-formed hate crime unit in Burnley and Pendle, which has significantly improved detection rates for racially aggravated violent crime, enhancing community confidence;
	the community and race relations (CRR) strategy incorporates youth issues, responses to racial incidents and crimes, ensuring equitable service delivery and developing the recruitment, retention and progression of staff with regard to CRR and cohesion issues through training;
	intelligence-led problem-oriented approaches, at all levels of policing and in all departments, which involve monitoring tension indicators and other threats to public safety and working in partnership with outside agencies and members of the public; and
	community safety teams in each of the six divisions, with a central strategic team at headquarters, dedicated to working on community-based projects, particularly those that relate to minority communities; the teams work to reassure the public, provide communities with a link to the police, deal with hate crime and gather intelligence on community tensions.
	I would like to express appreciation of the work of Lancashire Constabulary in these and other measures implementing the recommendations of the Burnley Taskforce (Clarke report), of the Cantle report and of the Ministerial Group on Public Safety and Community Cohesion following the summer 2001 disturbances in Burnley. This has been taken forward by a multi-agency forum with local authorities and other agencies, with a view to ensuring effective partnership working.

Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department intends to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Manchester, Central dated (a) 28 August 2002, regarding Mr. KK, reference 17982/2, (b) 11 September 2002, regarding Mr. YMY, reference 18812/2, (c) 20 September 2002, regarding Ms NM, reference 19649/2, (d) 7 October 2002, regarding Mr. MA, reference 21454/2, (e) 9 October 2002, regarding Mr. NAM, reference 20892/2, (f) 9 October 2002, regarding Mr. AH, reference 21152/2, (g) 11 October 2002, regarding Miss GM, reference 21144/2, (h) 15 October 2002, regarding Mr. MM, reference 21484/2, (i) 16 October 2002, regarding Mr. FM, reference 21379/2, (j) 16 October 2002, regarding Mr. IK, reference 21489/2, (k) 24 October 2002, regarding Mr. RBZ, reference 23242/2 and (l) 28 October 2002, regarding Mr. SARR, reference 23136/2.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 January 2003
	The information is as follows:
	(a) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 16 January 2003.
	(b) My noble Friend (Lord Filkin) wrote on 9 January 2003.
	(c) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
	(d) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 9 January 2003.
	(e) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
	(f) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
	(g) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
	(h) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003,
	(i) I will write to my hon. Friend shortly.
	(j) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003,
	(k) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
	(l) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 10 January 2003.

Czech Roma

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Roma from the Czech Republic have (a) sought and (b) been granted asylum in the UK in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: It is not possible to say how many asylum applicants from the Czech Republic are of Romany origin. Data on the ethnic origin of asylum seekers are not collated centrally and are therefore not available; the number of those who applied would be available only by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.
	The tables show the number of applications and initial decisions of nationals of the Czech Republic from 1997 to September 2002.
	
		Asylum applications(46) received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions(47) on applications, 1997–2001 and January to September 2002, nationals of Czech Republic -- Principal applicants
		
			  Applications(48)  
			 Czech Republic Total Port In Country Total initial decisions Grants of asylum Grants of ELR 
		
		
			 1997 240 220 20 210 — — 
			 1998 515 490 25 180 — — 
			 1999 1,790 1,750 40 275 * — 
			 2000 1,200 1,135 65 1,800 10 10 
			 2001(49) 880 795 85 895 — 5 
			 2002(50) 1,290 1,220 70 975 —  
		
	
	
		Asylum applications(46) received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions(47) on applications, 1997–2001 and January to September 2002, nationals of Czech Republic -- Principal applicants
		
			  Initial decisions  
			 Czech Republic Total refusals(51) Certified refusals Other refusals Third country refusals(52) Non-compliance refusals(53) Grants of ELR under backlog criteria(54),(55) Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria(54),(56) 
		
		
			 1997 210 105 25 70 10 — — 
			 1998 180 170 10 * * — — 
			 1999 275 115 120 10 30 * — 
			 2000 1,775 N/a 1,495 5 205 * — 
			 2001(49) 890 325 475 — 90 — — 
			 2002(50) 970 320 535 * 110 — — 
		
	
	(46) Figures rounded to nearest 5, with '*' = 1 or 2
	(47) Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions
	(48) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2000
	(49) Provision data
	(50) January-September 2002—provisional data
	(51) May include some refusals under non compliance grounds
	(52) Refused on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a safe third country
	(53) Paragraph 340 of Immigration Rules. For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, including failure to respond to invitation to interview
	(54) Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre-1969 asylum backlog
	(55) May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted
	(56) May include a small number of vases where asylum has been refused on substantive grounds

Deportations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were deported last year having served a custodial sentence in a UK prison.

Beverley Hughes: 634 persons were deported during 2002 on completion of a custodial sentence.

DNA Data

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what DNA data are held on people with criminal convictions; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The DNA profile of people with criminal convictions is held on the National DNA database. The profile is derived from a sample taken by the police from the offender. A part of the original sample is also preserved for possible use in the future. This is to enable the profile to be upgraded if necessary in the light of advances in DNA technology and for quality assurance purposes.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to consult on guidance to police authorities on dealing with perpetrators of domestic violence by police officers.

John Denham: Work is continuing to produce guidance on dealing with perpetrators of domestic violence within police ranks. Consultation will take place with relevant bodies later this month, and guidance issued in spring. Work is also being done to ensure that police discipline procedures complement the guidance when it is issued.

Drug Treatment Testing Orders

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of drug treatment testing orders in (a) Tunbridge Wells and (b) Kent have been breached;
	(2)  how many drug treatment and testing orders have been made in (a) Tunbridge Wells and (b) Kent;
	(3)  what proportion of those given drug treatment testing orders in (a) Tunbridge Wells and (b) Kent have subsequently reoffended;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of drug treatment testing orders in (a) Tunbridge Wells and (b) Kent.

Bob Ainsworth: No unit cost information is available for the specific costs of drug treatment and testing orders (DTTO) in Kent and Tunbridge Wells. The assessed national average unit cost of a DTTO is £6,000, of which £2,400 is retained by the probation service to cover supervision, enforcement and other related costs. The balance of £3,600 per order is transferred to the Department of Health pooled treatment budget to cover treatment and related costs.
	234 orders have been commenced in Kent since the national roll-out of DTTOs in October 2000. Kent probation area has been set a target of 160 DTTOs in the current year and 86 orders have been made to 30 November 2002 including six orders in Tunbridge Wells.
	It is increasingly the practice of the courts when considering a breach of an order, to allow the DTTO to continue where good progress has otherwise been shown. Information is collected centrally on the total number of breach actions initiated but is not available in a form which allows the incidence of breaches to be linked to an individual order.
	Since national roll-out in October 2000, Kent probation has initiated breach action which resulted in the revocation of 121 orders: 91 for failure to comply, and 30 following a conviction for another offence. However, some of these offences were committed before the order began. Results from local intelligence sources, including the police, suggest that the volume of offending for this chaotic group of offenders is reduced and maintained over time for those responding to their treatment.

Drug Treatment Testing Orders

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of each type of crime in (a) Tunbridge Wells and (b) Kent in each of the past five years was deemed to be drug-related.

Bob Ainsworth: Recorded crime figures include statistics on drugs offences, such as possession, and on acquisitive crimes, such as burglary, but do not record whether the latter are related to an offender's drug habits.
	However, the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) research programme, which involves interviewing and drug testing those arrested by the police, confirms a link between drug misuse and crime, although the conclusions do not relate specifically to Kent. Analysis of the data from the first eight sites in the survey, collected during 1999–2000, shows that 65 per cent. of arrestees provided a urine sample that tested positive for one or more illegal drug. The analysis also shows that up to 29 per cent. of arrestees tested positive for opiates (including heroin) and/or cocaine (including crack).
	As a guide to the proportion of crime that is drug-related, analysis of the NEW-ADAM self-report data indicates that while only 21 per cent. of non-drug using arrestees reported having previously offended in the past 12 months, this figure rises to 75 per cent. for those arrestees who use heroin and/or cocaine/crack. Moreover, while users of both heroin and cocaine/crack represented just under one quarter of all arrestees interviewed, they were responsible for more than three fifths of all the illegal income reported.
	In support of this, 55 per cent. of arrestees who reported using one or more drugs in the last 12 months and committing one or more acquisitive crimes, acknowledged a link between their drug use and their offending behaviour. This proportion rose to 78 per cent. for arrestees who said they had used heroin and cocaine/crack.

Drug-related Offences (Durham)

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were for drug-related offences in the Peterlee sub division of the Durham police in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The available information relating to illegal drugs, is given in the table.
	
		Persons(57) proceeded against in the Easington petty sessional area for the possession of and dealing in a controlled drug, 1999, 2000 and 2001
		
			  Easington petty sessional area 
		
		
			 Possession of a controlled drug  
			 1999 21 
			 2000 61 
			 2001 118 
			   
			 Dealing in a controlled drug(58)  
			 1999 21 
			 2000 61 
			 2001 32 
		
	
	(57) Persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with.
	(58) Includes offences of importation/exportation, production, supplying, possession with intent to supply etc.
	The number of arrests within the Peterlee sub division of Durham constabulary are not available centrally. The 'use' of illegal drugs is not an offence.
	Statistics for 2002 will be available in the autumn. 2001 Criminal statistics is available on the Stationary Office website (http:www.homeoffice.gov.uk.rds. pdfs2hosb402.pdf), and copies are available in the Library.

Examining Officers' Powers

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2002, Official Report, column 987W, on examining officers' powers, when he will respond to Lord Carlile of Berriew QC on the issue raised in his report on the operation in 2001 of the Terrorism Act 2000; when he will report his response to the House; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: holding answer 21 January 2003
	I will be giving my full consideration to all of these proposals, including examining officers' powers, and I will be responding to Lord Carlile on the issues raised imminently. I will, of course, report my response to the House.

Firearms

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions have been recorded in each of the last three years for (i) carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, (ii) acquiring a firearm under the age of 17, (iii) a person under 14 possessing an airgun or ammunition, (iv) a person under 17 having an air weapon in a public place, (v) a person under 14 making improper use of an airgun when under supervision, (vi) supplying an air weapon to a person under 14, (vii) discharging a firearm within 50 feet of the centre of a highway, and (viii) an adult supervisor of a person under 14 making improper use of an airgun.

Bob Ainsworth: The information contained in the table gives the number of defendants proceeded against and convicted of the various firearms offences requested, in England and Wales, 1999 to 2001, apart from 'discharging a firearm within 50 feet of a highway', which is not separately identifiable on the Home Office Court Proceedings database.
	Statistics for 2002 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts for certain firearms offences, England and Wales 1999 to 2001(59)
		
			1999  2000(60) 2001  
			  Offence description  Statute Proceeded against  Convicted Proceeded against  Convicted Proceeded against  Convicted 
		
		
			  
			 (See footnote (3) for definition of Firearm Groups)
			 
			 Carrying a loaded firearm in a public place
			 Carrying loaded firearm in public place etc.(Group I). Firearms Act 1968 sec. 19 amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 sec. 157 sch. 8 part III 81 63 71 49 66 52 
			 Carrying loaded firearm in public place etc. (Group II). Ibid. 25 21 22 17 22 13 
			 Carrying loaded firearm in public place etc.(Group III). Ibid. 237 176 213 170 241 180 
			 Total  343 260 306 236 329 245 
			 
			 Acquiring a firearm under the age of 17
			 Person under 17 acquiring firearm (Group I) Firearms Act 1968 section 22(1). 3 3 2 1 2 2 
			 Person under 17 acquiring firearm (Group II) Ibid. 1 1 — — 1 — 
			 Person under 17 acquiring firearm (Group III) Ibid. 3 1 3 3 2 1 
			 Total  7 5 5 4 5 3 
			 
			 Person under 14 having with him an air weapon or ammunition therefore, (Group III). Firearms Act 1968 section 22(4) 13 12 21 16 12 3 
			 
			 Person under 17 having with him an air weapon in a public place, (Group III) Firearms Act 1968 section 22(5) 68 54 66 52 66 46 
			 
			 Person under 14 making improper use of air weapon when under supervision, (Group III) Firearms Act 1968 section 23(1)(a) — — 1 1 1 1 
			 
			 Supplying air weapon to person under 14, (Group III) Firearms Act1968, sec. 24(4) 2 2 4 2 2 2 
			 
			 Person supervising person under 14, permitting improper use of air weapon, (Group III) Firearms Act 1968 section23(1)(b) — — 2 2 — — 
		
	
	(59) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(60) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.
	(61) For the purposes of recording offences, firearms are divided into three groups as below:
	Group I—All firearms etc. other than those described in Groups II and III.

Fraud (Asylum Support)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many investigations have been commenced into suspected fraud concerning Asylum Support, and what the outcomes have been; and if he will make a statement about the arrangements in place to prevent Asylum Support fraud;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 8 January, ref. 88475, how many fraud investigators are employed by or contracted to the National Asylum Support Service; and what arrangements are in place for advice and assistance from the Benefit Fraud Investigation Service to NASS;
	(3)  what arrangements are in place for referrals from the Benefit Fraud Hotline and the Targeting Fraud Website to be made to NASS fraud investigators in respect of cases of suspected Asylum Support fraud; and how many reports of suspected fraud have so far been received by NASS.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 January 2003
	About 40 staff are employed directly by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) to undertake fraud investigations. In the period April-December 2002 investigations were carried out into 3,161 cases of alleged benefit fraud. As a result of the investigation 1,286 support claimants had their NASS support terminated.
	All asylum seekers are being issued with Application Registration Cards (ARCs) which contain photographs and biometric data. Arrangements are under way for NASS support to be paid via the person's ARC. This represents a more secure method of payment and will help to prevent fraud.
	NASS has a full time liaison officer on secondment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to establish closer working links with that Department's Benefits Fraud Investigations unit. In addition NASS contributes to multi-agency operations aimed at combating illegal working in partnership with other Government Departments including the Department for Work and Pensions.
	There are no formal arrangements for referring calls to the Benefit Fraud Hotline and the Targeting Fraud Website to NASS.

Gwent Police

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will send to Mr. Alan Bolton, ex-Superintendent of Gwent Police, the final report of assistant chief constable Drane on alleged breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which was presented to the Gwent Police Authority on 11 July 2002.

John Denham: The report referred to is the property of the Chief Officer of Gwent and it is for him to decide whether a copy should go to Mr. Alan Bolton. I am advised by Gwent Police that the report will not be disclosed. The report is currently in the hands of the Police Complaints Authority who will inform Mr. Bolton of the outcome of the investigation into his allegations.

Gwent Police

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the report of the inquiry into the conduct of ex-Acting Chief Constable Richard Thomas of Gwent Police will be published.

John Denham: The report referred to is the property of Gwent Police Authority and it is for them to decide whether it should be published. I am advised by Gwent Police that the report will not be published.

Identity Cards

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the possibility of introducing identity cards in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary launched a consultation exercise on 3 July 2002, with the publication of a consultation paper on Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud. Official Report, columns 227–42.
	There are strongly held views on all sides of the debate on entitlement or identity cards. The Government have made it clear that the introduction of an entitlement card would be a major step and that we would not proceed without consulting widely and considering all the views expressed very carefully.
	The consultation period will last until 31 January 2003 after which, the Government will assess and evaluate all the responses received before reaching a conclusion.

Immigration Detainees

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to prevent immigration detainees who have not been charged with a criminal offence from being held in prison.

Beverley Hughes: Our policy on the use of prisons to hold immigration detainees was set out in the White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven—Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain". We made it clear that, although the routine use of prison accommodation for immigration detainees had ended, there would remain a need to hold small numbers of individual detainees in prison for reasons of security and control. There has been no change in that policy.

Juvenile Motor Bike Riders

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the police about means of controlling nuisance by juvenile riders of off-road motor bikes; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 22 January 2003
	The Government have responded to public concerns about the nuisance and distress caused by juveniles riding off-road motor bikes across public parks, village greens or the countryside without authority by securing new powers for the police to deal with the anti-social use of any motor vehicle whether on- or off-road. The new powers are contained in section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 and the Police (Retention and Disposal of Motor Vehicles) Regulations 2002, both of which came into force on 1 January.
	The new powers build on existing road traffic legislation by enabling the police to seize any vehicle being driven carelessly or inconsiderately or off-road without authority and in such a way as to cause alarm, distress or annoyance. This will enable the police to deal more immediately and more effectively with the nuisance. The new powers will inconvenience those who misuse their vehicles and see them liable to meet the costs involved in seizure and storage in order to recover them.
	The Home Office has written to all chief officers of police, drawing their attention to the new provisions and advising them on application.

Minimum Wage

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage (a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year.

David Blunkett: The information requested is in the table:
	
		
			Impact on the paybill  
			 Increase Total England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 
		
		
			  
			 (a) In line with inflation Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 
			 (b) To £4.17 per hour Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 
			 (c) To £4.87 per hour (percentage) <0.01 <0.01 <0.1 <0.01 <0.1 
			 (d) To £5.00 per hour (percentage) <0.05 <0.05 <0.5 <0.05 <0.5 
			 (e) To £5.30 per hour (percentage) <0.1 <0.1 <1.0 <0.1 _1.0

Orpheus Centre

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives of the Orpheus Centre; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: I attended a reception at the House of Commons on 13 January 2003, which was organised by the noble Lord Hunt of Wirral, in conjunction with the right hon. Member to celebrate the work of the Orpheus Centre. The Orpheus Centre is doing excellent work, not only by helping young disabled people to achieve their potential in music and drama, but also by drawing attention to the wasted talent that results from negative attitudes towards disability.

Paper Supplies

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the suppliers are of his Department's (a) paper and (b) paper products.

David Blunkett: The contract to supply paper and paper products to the Home Department is held by the company Guilbert Niceday. In addition to the aforementioned contract the Prison Service also hold a contract with James McNaughton to supply paper and paper products to Prison Service industries.
	In June 2002 the Home Office mandated all offices within the Department to use re-cycled paper in photocopiers, fax machines and printers, unless technical reasons precluded them from using this paper. The provision of re-cycled paper is part of the agreed contract with Guilbert Niceday.

Police (Herefordshire)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are employed in Herefordshire.

John Denham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) on 2 December 2002, Official Report, column 589W, setting out police strength for each Basic Command Unit for each force in England and Wales as at 31 March 2002.
	The deployment of resources between the six territorial divisions and other specialist operational and support units of the West Mercia Constabulary is an operational matter for the Chief Constable.

Police Force (Civilian Staff)

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian staff have been employed in each police force in England and Wales in each year since 1996–97; and how many of these civilians have been employed as a consequence of the civilianisation of posts formerly performed by uniformed officers.

John Denham: The figures for the number of civilian support staff employed by police forces since 1996–97 are provided in the table. Information for the number civilians employed as a result of the civilianisation of uniformed police posts is not available.
	
		
			 Police force March 1997 March 1998 March 1999 March 2000 March 2001 March 2002 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 1,438 1,393 1,424 1,436 1,452 1,611 
			 Bedfordshire 484 523 483 490 491 524 
			 Cambridgeshire 607 574 586 503 614 733 
			 Cheshire 735 781 785 823 833 884 
			 Cleveland 609 586 552 595 586 626 
			 Cumbria 451 451 442 469 588 631 
			 Derbyshire 723 787 818 826 875 953 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,159 1,186 1,215 1,343 1,453 1,639 
			 Dorset 615 651 702 686 682 741 
			 Durham 583 557 559 590 566 660 
			 Dyfed Powys 322 341 341 359 401 459 
			 Essex 1,199 1,252 1,273 1,348 1,447 1,571 
			 Gloucestershire 435 423 504 484 506 545 
			 Greater Manchester 2,612 2,661 2,623 2,822 2,858 3,135 
			 Gwent 452 477 487 498 537 570 
			 Hampshire 1,316 1,331 1,381 1,443 1,424 1,597 
			 Hertfordshire 818 831 835 890 935 1,121 
			 Humberside 718 789 840 840 808 816 
			 Kent 1,384 1,470 1,582 1,647 1,796 1,958 
			 Lancashire 1,126 1,143 1,198 1,422 1,369 1,442 
			 Leicestershire 755 774 802 805 686 816 
			 Lincolnshire 521 541 517 516 561 600 
			 London, City of 347 334 314 285 233 247 
			 Merseyside 1,343 1,502 1,356 1,458 1,418 1,532 
			 Metropolitan Police 13,493 12,432 11,257 10,605 10,040 10,459 
			 Norfolk 603 646 648 655 694 819 
			 North Wales 476 479 508 519 498 645 
			 North Yorkshire 519 543 541 492 591 743 
			 Northamptonshire 554 577 587 599 694 742 
			 Northumbria 1,365 1,362 1,443 1,417 1,344 1,403 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,003 987 1,039 1,024 1,039 1,087 
			 South Wales 1,206 1,132 1,223 1,081 1,270 1,435 
			 South Yorkshire 1,291 1,243 1,273 1,391 1,312 1,352 
			 Staffordshire 763 866 1,004 858 935 1,030 
			 Suffolk 522 583 594 600 621 692 
			 Surrey 727 743 733 762 897 1,043 
			 Sussex 1,149 1,185 1,393 1,328 1,454 1,507 
			 Thames Valley 1,825 1,827 1,799 1,786 1,891 2,061 
			 Warwickshire 376 398 406 394 412 459 
			 West Mercia 942 975 975 1,043 1,095 1,116 
			 West Midlands 2,739 2,817 2,652 2,695 2,819 3,007 
			 West Yorkshire 2,234 2,304 2,216 2,199 2,228 2,364 
			 Wiltshire 475 519 555 563 622 649 
			 Total 53,011 52,975 52,465 52,588 53,575 58,022 
		
	
	Source:
	Home Office Statistical Bulletins—Police Service Strength 1997–2002

Police Numbers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of police officers in (a) England and Wales, (b) Avon and Somerset and (c) East Somerset district in each year from 1980–81 to 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 22 January 2003
	Information on the number of officers in England and Wales and Avon and Somerset Constabulary for 1980–81 to 2001–02 (the latest available statistics) is set out in the table. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has set a target for there to be 130,000 officers in March 2003 and 132,500 officers in 2004, but he has not set targets for individual forces.
	The deployment of resources between the eight territorial divisions and other specialist operational and support units of the force is an operational matter for the Chief Constable.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) on 2 December 2002, Official Report, column 589W, setting out police strength for each Basic Command Unit for each force in England and Wales as at 31 March 2002.
	
		Police numbers; England and Wales and for Avon and Somerset 1980–81 to 2001–02
		
			 Year (as at 31 March) Police numbers England and Wales Police numbers Avon and Somerset 
		
		
			 1981 118,102 2,953 
			 1982 119,973 3,011 
			 1983 121,003 2,970 
			 1984 121,053 2,997 
			 1985 120,116 2,982 
			 1986 120,848 2,958 
			 1987 122,236 3,009 
			 1988 124,080 3,013 
			 1989 125,631 3,014 
			 1990 126,777 3,094 
			 1991 127,495 3,092 
			 1992 127,627 3,081 
			 1993 128,290 3,068 
			 1994 127,897 3,033 
			 1995 127,222 3,000 
			 1996 126,901 2,981 
			 1997 127,158 2,989 
			 1998 126,814 2,976 
			 1999 126,096 2,999 
			 2000 124,418 2,934 
			 2001 125,519 2,960 
			 2002 129,603 3,096

Police Pay and Pensions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assumptions the Home Office made about the change in police pay and pension costs between 2002–03 and 2003–04 in determining the police grant distribution.

John Denham: The average increase in Police Grant and Revenue Support Grant and National Non-Domestic Rates income in 2003–04 will be 4.3 per cent. Each police authority will receive an increase of at least 3 per cent.
	Within the total sum available, distribution of Police Grant is based, by formula, on predicted relative demands on policing services for each police authority. Formula changes for 2003–04 do not relate to pay or pension costs. The proportion of the formula attributable to projected pensions costs remains at 14.5 per cent.
	Grant is not specifically earmarked for pay and pension costs. Authorities will take grant into account when setting budgets to meet these costs from their total available resources.

Police Precept

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the level of the police precept in each English police authority, based on (a) Band D council tax and (b) other measures for which comparative information is available, in each year from 1990–91 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 22 January 2003
	Precept levels are determined by police authorities.
	Police precepts (Band D level) for English Police Authorities since 1995–96 are set out in the table. Before April 1995 policing in shire areas was provided by county councils. Figures for the police component of county precepts are unavailable.
	
		Council tax—police element (Band D) -- £
		
			 Police authority 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 45.32 45.73 52.04 55.09 60.62 67.59 72.66 83.4 
			 Bedfordshire 45.40 46.46 52.51 55.84 61.36 66.98 70.26 78.69 
			 Cambridgeshire 44.64 45.00 51.03 48.24 52.11 62.46 68.04 94.59 
			 Cheshire 44.71 45.10 51.16 53.86 56.28 61.06 64.66 73.54 
			 Cleveland 45.23 46.02 54.87 48.43 62.55 65.58 69.51 96.13 
			 Cumbria 49.54 51.14 58.20 72.35 78.27 84.23 90.60 100.48 
			 Derbyshire 45.04 45.18 51.31 57.30 65.85 71.12 75.38 91.96 
			 Devon and Cornwall 45.60 45.66 49.79 48,30 53.52 58.87 61.81 73.8 
			 Dorset 56.13 57.49 63.59 70.60 77.12 84.42 92.25 103.5 
			 Durham 45.00 45.45 52.20 48.60 50.40 52.65 56.43 64.44 
			 Essex 47.25 48.42 54.09 62.28 65.07 67.95 71.01 77.67 
			 Gloucestershire 44.92 44.96 51.17 57.74 68.90 77.98 82.05 94.01 
			 Greater Manchester 45.53 45.86 54.10 56.28 60.22 62.72 64.66 68.86 
			 Hampshire 45.00 45.81 51.75 50.13 53.91 55.08 59.04 75.15 
			 Hertfordshire 44.89 46.02 51.51 58.83 63.54 67.99 72.39 81.01 
			 Humberside 45.09 45.78 52.47 52.47 54.81 60.30 85.77 95.4 
			 Kent 45.09 45.81 51.57 48.45 52.48 55.73 60.26 73.64 
			 Lancashire 45.18 45.71 53.25 53.48 57.69 62.60 67.89 73.86 
			 Leicestershire 45.27 45.32 52.26 61.21 63.79 67.80 75.52 95.21 
			 Lincolnshire 62.21 66.96 69.03 78.93 81.99 86.49 90.36 94.86 
			 Merseyside 53.42 57.87 66.87 71.78 77.44 81.31 85.37 94.76 
			 Metropolitan 47.83 49.84 57.00 70.73 77.44 90.95 118.85 130.59 
			 Norfolk 45.27 45.18 50.58 53.64 64.35 72.09 83.61 100.35 
			 Northamptonshire 63.29 64.26 70.56 69.29 76.08 79.65 83.00 105.25 
			 Northumbria 44.92 45.95 52.73 47.67 49.82 52.06 55.65 58.15 
			 North Yorkshire 45.47 45.40 49.72 48.46 52.20 57.04 62.59 88.59 
			 Nottinghamshire 45.51 45.94 49.78 54.32 61.55 65.17 70.17 85.17 
			 South Yorkshire 44.95 45.80 53.29 54.28 56.72 59.26 62.79 74.09 
			 Staffordshire 47.87 48.15 54.74 72.42 78.86 83.43 94.37 100.93 
			 Suffolk 44.64 45.09 51.39 52.38 56.16 61.11 67.14 82.08 
			 Surrey 41.94 42.93 44.64 66.06 75.24 79.41 83.08 96.44 
			 Sussex 45.18 45.99 51.66 50.94 53.19 55.53 59.13 69.84 
			 Thames Valley 46.86 46.96 52.79 50.76 56.53 60.34 64.49 73.49 
			 Warwickshire 44.60 46.70 52.24 62.09 71.18 77.57 85.17 101.78 
			 West Mercia 44.94 45.34 50.87 53.64 59.00 74.06 78.50 104.5 
			 West Midlands 44.48 45.65 53.20 48.99 51.19 54.77 57.21 61.88 
			 West Yorkshire 45.28 45.28 53.17 52.41 54.76 58.73 60.82 75.92 
			 Wiltshire 48.45 49.44 55.48 62.77 68.98 75.84 83.26 91.54

Police Response Times

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the target time is for the police to respond to 999 calls in (a) Essex Constabulary, (b) Tendring division, (c) Colchester division and (d) England; and if he will list the most recent performance in each case.

John Denham: The Government do not set target times for emergency response.
	The emergency response targets set by Essex Police Authority within Essex Police are the same for all divisions:
	Rural—20 minutes,
	Urban—10 minutes.
	There is not a national target—forces set their own, although the majority are rural 20 minutes and urban 10 minutes; the others are very similar.
	The latest Essex performance figures are as follows:
	Essex Police—Target 86 per cent. Performance (rolling 12 months to end December 2002) 83.5 per cent.
	Tendring Division—Target 88 per cent. Performance (rolling 12 months to end December 2002) 88.3 per cent.
	Colchester Division—Target 88 per cent. Performance (rolling 12 months to end December 2002) 83.9 per cent.
	The most recent figures available for England and Wales are those given in the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary annual report 2001–02 published on 9 December 2002. These show that the average response times for attending incidents within target times were 78.7 per cent. in urban areas and 86.9 per cent. in rural areas.

Police Standards Unit

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police forces have been subject to intervention by the Police Standards Unit since its creation;
	(2)  how many separate interventions the Police Standards Unit has made since its creation.

John Denham: There have been no formal interventions by the Police Standards Unit under the powers provided by sections 4 and 5 of the Police Reform Act 2002.
	The Police Standards Unit is, however, working with police forces in England and Wales—and in conjunction with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary—to share good practice, to provide support where performance issues have been identified and to aid specific initiatives such as the work with 10 forces to tackle street crime.

Policing (London)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the current level of policing in (a) the London Borough of Havering and (b) other London boroughs;
	(2)  how many police officers there are in each London borough;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with police borough commanders on police numbers in the London boroughs;
	(4)  what plans he has to increase police numbers and resources in the London Borough of Havering.

John Denham: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, has regular meetings with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Sir John Stevens QPM) at which a range of policing issues are discussed.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) on 2 December 2002, Official Report, column 589W. This sets out police strength for each Basic Command Unit for each force in England and Wales, including the London boroughs.
	Under the provisional grant settlement for 2003–04 announced on 5 December 2002 the MPS will receive £2,021.7 million in Government grant.
	Decisions about the allocation of resources, including police officers, to the London boroughs are matters for the Commissioner and the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Radiological Terrorism

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what liaison has taken place between the Civil Contingencies Unit and the Office of Civil Nuclear Security in respect of preparation of counter measures against radiological terrorism.

Brian Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
	None. The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulator, provides advice on protective security of nuclear materials and nuclear facilities in the civil nuclear industry. OCNS does not provide advice on the consequences of terrorism.

Stray Dogs

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the provision by local police forces of temporary kennels for stray dogs collected by local authority dog wardens.

John Denham: The provision of temporary kennels for stray dogs by the police is a local matter determined individually by each police force. The Policing Bureaucracy Taskforce recommended that this function may transfer to local authorities. The proposals are being discussed in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

Sussex Police

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have left Sussex constabulary in the last 12 months because of (a) retirement, (b) early retirement, (c) injury and (d) other employment.

John Denham: The precise information requested is not collected centrally. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has provided the figures set out in the table for the 12 months ending 31 March 2002.
	
		Sussex police wastage:2001–02
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Dismissed or required to resign 2 
			 Voluntary resignations 63 
			 Medical retirements 16 
			 Ordinary retirements 82 
			 Transfers 34 
			 Died in service 2 
			 Total wastage 199

Terrorism Act

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 597W, on arrests made under the Terrorism Act 2000 since 1 December 2002, if he will list (a) the locations where the 50 arrests were made, (b) the numbers arrested and charged or released at each location and (c) the date of each of these incidents.

David Blunkett: Since 1 December 2002 and to date, a total of 75 arrests have been made under the Terrorism Act 2000. The table details dates, locations and outcomes.
	
		
			 Date Number of arrests Location Outcome 
		
		
			 1 December 2002 1 Manchester Released without charge 
			 3 December 2002 2 Manchester Released without charge 
			 5 December 2002 10 London Released from TACT (6 re-arrested for criminal offences) 
			 11 December 2002 6 London 5 charged (s11 and s18 TACT) 1 released without charge 
			 11 December 2002 1 Cheshire Charged (s11 TACT) 
			 18 December 2002 4 London Charged (s57 of TACT) 
			 18 December 2002 3 Edinburgh Charged (s57 of TACT) 
			 19 December 2002 1 London Released without charge 
			 22 December 2002 1 London Released without charge 
			 24 December 2002 1 Edinburgh Charged (s57 and s58 TACT) 
			 29 December 2002 2 Cumbria Charged (s15 TACT) 
			 30 December 2002 3 London Released from TACT (re-arrested for criminal offences) 
			 5 January 2003 8 London 2 released without charge; 3 charged (s57 TACT and s2 Chemical Weapons Act); 1 charged (s57 and 58 TACT and s2 Chemical Weapons Act) 2 released from TACT (re-arrested for criminal and immigration offences) 
			 7 January 2003 1 London Charged under s57 TACT and s2 Chemical Weapons Act 
			 8 January 2003 1 London Released without charge 
			 12 January 2003 6 Bournemouth Released from TACT (re-arrested for criminal and immigration offences) 
			 13 January 2003 1 London Released without charge 
			 14 January 2003 3 Manchester 1 charged with murder 1 detained under ATCS Act 1 charged (s57 and s58 TACT) 
			 14 January 2003 2 Tottenham 1 detained under ATCS Act 1 released without charge 
			 14 January 2003 1 Birmingham Released without charge 
			 15 January 2003 1 Birmingham Released without charge 
			 15 January 2003 1 Manchester Released from TACT into Immigration Service custody 
			 17 January 2003 3 Gatwick Released from TACT into Immigration Service custody 
			 17 January 2003 2 London Released from TACT (bailed re criminal offences) 
			 18 January 2003 3 Gloucestershire Released without charge 
			 20 January 2003 7 London All remain in custody

Traffic Police

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police in England have been allocated to traffic duties in each year since 1990; and what training in road accident investigation is given to police officers.

Bob Ainsworth: The table gives the readily available information on the number of traffic officers in each police force in England. This covers the three years since 1999, in which year the definition of traffic officer used by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary changed. The definition is now "staff who are predominantly employed on motor-cycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties". This definition excludes those engaged in accident investigation, vehicle examination or radar duties.
	The adoption of an intelligence-led approach to traffic policing, the integration of such policing with other core activities, the increased use of cameras and other technology, and the more effective use of police resources can lead to a reduction in dedicated traffic officers without a reduction in performance in meeting traffic-related targets or enforcement levels.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has created a protocol to safeguard expertise and credibility by providing a common standard within the police service for the conduct of collision investigation and reconstruction. Under this, police forces should aim, at the primary level, to train collision investigation officers to the level of the appropriate City and Guilds qualification or an approved equivalent. The recommendation is that the qualification should be achieved within two years of the officer first undertaking this type of work. In addition, specialist officers are required to undergo continuing professional development, which provides a means of maintaining and enhancing their expertise and ensuring the maintenance of standards.
	
		Number of traffic officers by police force
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 200.3 210.5 214.0 
			 Bedfordshire 73.0 69.0 68.5 
			 Cambridgeshire 93.0 86.0 78.0 
			 Cheshire 195.6 187.0 194.0 
			 City of London 22.0 24.0 25.0 
			 Cleveland 67.9 62.9 67.0 
			 Cumbria 118.8 111.0 108.0 
			 Derbyshire 138.6 135.6 140.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 215.3 202.3 186.7 
			 Dorset 83.0 86.0 81.0 
			 Durham 116.0 112.8 112.6 
			 Essex 245.1 249.1 253.7 
			 Gloucestershire 67.6 68.6 63.6 
			 Greater Manchester 432.8 422.8 420.8 
			 Hampshire 251.0 240.0 239.8 
			 Hertfordshire 155.0 168.0 149.0 
			 Humberside 154.6 145.0 136.0 
			 Kent 102.6 103.6 103.6 
			 Lancashire 220.4 216,8 219.6 
			 Leicestershire 87.0 95.0 85.7 
			 Lincolnshire 93.0 88.0 97.8 
			 Merseyside 185.0 130.0 126.0 
			 Metropolitan police 823.8 685.7 602.0 
			 Norfolk 108.6 112.6 114.0 
			 Northamptonshire 51.8 51.8 61.4 
			 Northumbria 158.0 158.0 178.0 
			 North Yorkshire 96.0 129.0 140.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 166.5 175.0 111.0 
			 South Yorkshire 196.4 206.4 208.4 
			 Staffordshire 188.0 35.0 34.0 
			 Suffolk 70.0 62.6 67.6 
			 Surrey 173.0 197.0 109.5 
			 Sussex 191.3 190.0 174.2 
			 Thames Valley 251.4 250.5 246.8 
			 Warwickshire 102.0 95.8 95.0 
			 West Mercia 278.0 322.0 325.0 
			 West Midlands 394.0 380.0 385.0 
			 West Yorkshire 322.8 326.2 336.2 
			 Wiltshire 92.7 91.0 88.0 
			 Totals 6,791.9 6,718.6 6,446.8

Zimbabwe

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Zimbabwean nationals and (b) British passport holders previously resident in Zimbabwe without the right of residence have applied for residence in the UK in each of the last 24 months.

Beverley Hughes: The available information relates to the number of Zimbabwe nationals granted settlement. Monthly statistics for 2000 and 2001, the latest available, are given in the table. Data for 2002 are due to be published later this year. Information on the number of applications made for settlement is not available.
	In 2001, 515 British overseas citizens (British passport holders without the right of residence) were granted settlement. The corresponding figure for 2000 was 630. It is not possible to identify how many of these citizens were previously resident in Zimbabwe.
	
		Nationals of Zimbabwe granted settlement, by month, 2000 and 2001 -- Number of persons
		
			  2000 2001 
		
		
			 January 85 65 
			 February 65 75 
			 March 55 105 
			 April 95 50 
			 May 85 90 
			 June 110 90 
			 July 90 100 
			 August 90 125 
			 September 75 90 
			 October 75 100 
			 November 70 55 
			 December 60 30 
			 Total 955 980 
		
	
	Note:
	Data rounded to the nearest 5.